Re: TOC Subsidy Per pax km - from National Rail Trends


"Ian Johnston" <ian.groups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-6FlSeUYsU2id@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 11:41:40 UTC, Chris Tolley <cjt.7@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> : > Virgin CrossCountry 4.4
> : > Virgin West Coast 3.3
> : ....
> :
> : Mr Polson has been notably quiet in this thread.
>
> My thoughts, too! Just think how much lower still the Virgin costs
> would have been if they didn't clean their trains so often...
>
> Ian
>
I think something is being missed here. I gather from a Bremner Bird and
Fortune sketch that the subsidy paid out by government actualy ends up going
to the banks (who own the rolling stock), along with a small proportion of
the monies actually earned by the TOCs. The whole privatisation set up was a
mess, the Chancellor gets a 'cut' from every transaction, hence dividing the
railways up in this way, producing lots of transactions, ensured the maximum
profit for the government (well aeroplanes helecopters and 'secure' high
speed motorcades cost a lot these days). Unfortunately being drawn from the
unskilled classes the politicians are reliant upon the services of (often
equally unqualified) advisors. Apparently the advisors who helped them with
this were associated with the banks.
So, first step nationalise the banks, then shoot a few advisors (the reduced
cost to the country could then be put toward more trains), finally pass the
entire problem over to a sixth form college to sort out how it should be
run - end of problem.

Mike (working for a charity and hence rather anti politicians, or carpet
baggers as they used to be known)


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