Rail Privatisation: Good or Bad?

 by Lorcan Bonser-Wilton

Britain’s railways were once seen as of magnificent scale. First made to transport materials effectively during the Industrial Revolution, the way was paved for passenger transport on a huge scale (at its peak in 1914, Britain’s railway spanned over 20,000 miles). However, in the present day, delays and price hikes plague the franchised system, which is almost half the length of what it was 100 years ago. As well as this, the recent news of re-nationalisation has shaken up what was previously a relatively calm scene. I will aim to explain why such agony has been taken over our nation’s great transport system.

The first steam locomotive railroad (meant for carrying goods) was the Stockton and Darlington in 1825, built by George Stephenson. Five years later, the Liverpool and Manchester was opened, capable of carrying both freight and passengers. From there, the railway only grew and grew, to the point where it was being run by over a hundred companies. While they were somewhat combined in an economic move in 1923, it was not until World War II that the railways were fully controlled by the government, and then the Transport Act of 1947 fully nationalized them, giving responsibility to the British Transport Commission, then onto the British Railways Board. They unfortunately put mass movement and profit as a priority, meaning some lines were lost. However, it got worse. The board decided to shorten the routes down around 8,000 miles, closing unprofitable lines all across the country. However, over the next few decades, a huge modernization program meant steam trains went to diesel, and then came electrification and reconstruction. In the 60s and 70s the line from London to the north was electrified, and a system meant they could track trains easily. All of these efforts made journeys faster and easier for the public. However, all of these improvements were not without loss of around 200,000 jobs.

In 1990, the now prolific RMT (the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) was formed, creating a single industry union for all workers. In 1993, the passenger and freight trains were divided into 25 operating companies across the nation, given to those in the private sector. Network Rail assumed the state-owned role of the railway in 2002. While privatised companies often resulted in efficient and well-running systems, they also caused nightmare problems for the average commuter. For example, in 2016, there was mass industrial action by Southern rail workers, to the point that hundreds of thousands were stuck stranded across the south. Drivers from the Aslef union followed conductors with the RMT in a long-running group of strikes, to protest plans for driver-only trains. This alongside mass staff shortages and a poor working environment meant that they were the perfect conditions for disruption. This is because the privatisation meant that the workers could strike when their needs were not being met, which happens rather frequently in the age of cuts in the transport sector. Overall, this hugely impacts the passenger in a very negative manner.

In conclusion, I believe that something has to be done about our railways, as the current situation is not amicable for both the consumers and the providers of the railway. We need to restore our previously efficient system to what it was, before it is too late.

Sources: 

Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Railways

Guardian: www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/13/when-where-why-southern-rail-strike-industrial-action