Most rail investment in the UK is ultimately paid for by the government. E.g HS2, line upgrades etc. Train companies might make a contribution to the cost of buying new trains through the cost of leasing them from the government regulated monopoly companies that buy them with government money. We basically have a system where everything is paid for by government but in a really complicated way involving lots of complicated contracts written by very expensive lawyers. Our trains are now some of the slowest most expensive and most uncomfortable in Europe.
UK railways are terrible, so you are saying it was _even_ worse when it was nationalised? It's expensive, a lot of strikes, and trains barely arrive on time, and the trains are bad
Re:Spain will introduce free train travel
by regularfry on Saturday July 23, 2022 @04:33PM
(#32207307)
It was underinvested-in, but relatively cheap to the traveler. Now it's underinvested-in and hideously expensive.
> Exactly the same for telecoms
The UK would have a nationwide fibre network if the government didn't step in to tear down public telecoms in favour of privatisation. Now it's 2022 and other major European cities have 25 Gbit fibre, yet there are parts of London still limited to ADSL2 and copper wires.
The UK recently privatised it's post office, there's lots of competition in its postal market (thank goodness).
The UK railways where private before 1948, then nationalised, it didn't work out well. Then privatised 40 or so years later because the government couldn't afford the investment required.
Are you in favour of nationalised air travel? UK tried that too and it was terrible. Exactly the same for telecoms. I'm just glad we don't have a nationalised food supply.