Trains

As the political argument over the East Coast railway franchise continues, it’s easy to lose sight of the passenger interest. Last year, the Campaign for Better Transport found that nationally over 50 per cent of trains were late or cancelled. This is despite fares and costs that have risen sharply for the last 14 years. Chris Grayling, confirmed last week as the Secretary of State for Transport, is right to be reforming the franchises, such as re-integrating track and train, to address the confused responsibility for poor service that characterises the current system. But tweaks to the status quo will only get us so far. Also heralded in the government’s

The first railway line in Spain, from Barcelona to Mataro a few miles up the coast towards the French border, was built in 1848 by British workers and with British expertise. I was reflecting on this, and the huge difference today between the services provided by our two countries’ railways, as the train passed through Mataro on the way to Girona. The 90-minute journey, for those of us of a certain age with a tarjeta dorada, cost five euros. The return journey to Barcelona by express train took 38 minutes and cost less than ten euros. Train travel in Spain is not only amazingly cheap; it is comfortable, efficient and

Britain’s railways provide a striking example of how a half-baked privatisation goes wrong. The Centre for Policy Studies today introduces a new word to the political and economic lexicon: Railopoly; noun, the exclusive possession or control of train services by a single company (public or private) which faces no competition or threat of. The private train monopolies which have been allowed to replace the old nationalised British Rail have become entrenched in the safe knowledge that ministers will not object and regulators will keep preventing competition. But how and why? Quite apart from allowing bad policies, can’t Conservatives realise that preserving the current unsatisfactory system gives credibility to Jeremy Corbyn’s

Well, that lasted long. Since Jeremy Corbyn’s better-than-expected election result, Labour politicians have done their best to heal old wounds and put on a united front. However, in a sign that the party remains fractious, a row has broken out over an idea many MPs thought to be in the dustbin. During the Labour leadership campaign, Jeremy Corbyn proposed the idea of introducing women-only train carriages. However, the idea was given short shrift by his colleagues, who saw it as a step backwards and it was subsequently dropped. Now shadow fire minister Chris Williamson has brought it back to the fray. Following the news that sexual offences on trains have more than doubled in the past

Jeremy Corbyn may not be right about many things, but when he sat on the floor of a train, hoping to raise awareness about overcrowding, he was at least on to something. Of course, in classic Corbyn style, he proved to have ignored reality to make his point: there were plenty of seats on that particular train. It was nonetheless a point worth making. Millions of passengers jostle for standing space every day; Britain’s rail system is in urgent need of help. And there is apparently money to be spent. It just won’t be going on the most overcrowded lines. Instead, the cash is destined for High Speed 2 —

Whatever you do, don’t allow your six-year-old to be caught short at Crewkerne station. With the rain pouring and the wind howling, my daughter needed the loo. But it was locked. And no staff anywhere to be seen. So I pressed the ‘Help’ button on one of those machines that have replaced stationmasters. ‘How can I assist you?’ responded a warm South Asian voice. ‘Er, we need someone to open the loo at Crewkerne.’ ‘Where exactly are you?’ she came back, sounding lost. ‘You know, in Dorset, after Yeovil. On the Exeter line. How far away is the help centre?’ I was thinking Bristol, maybe Swindon. ‘Oh, we are in