Regional governments and large customers have ambitious wish lists for a renaissance in rail if the Government buys back all the rail assets and ferries it sold in 1993.But who, you my wonder, is going to pay for these "grand plans"? Unfortunately it will be the taxpayer. And plans are always "grander" when paid for with other peoples' money. Why, if these regional governments think owning a railway is so great, don't they go to the people in their regions and ask them to pay for it? The answer is, of course, they would say no. Also if these "large customers" want to put their "ambitious wish lists" into action, why don't they go to their shareholders for the money. Again because they would say no.
The most interesting bit of the article is this sentence,
Many commentators are saying the state has to own rail because it is uneconomic.If it really is uneconomic, which it may be, then why should anybody own it? Why should we have it at all? Therefore the first thing the government should do is either show that rail is in fact economic, and if so which bits, or justify why the taxpayer should pay for an uneconomic system. It will do neither.
(HT: Not PC)
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