Speaking at the annual lunch of the Institution of Railway Operators in June, Lord Adonis said that privatisation has been a success in terms of growth but not in terms of the reputation of private companies. He suggested halving the salaries of the people who run private railway companies: “We would have the owners eat humble pie and say we’ve got it wrong in terms of the profit levels and surcharges in the industry. Then we’ve have a lovely adoring public and all would be well for the next 15 years.”
Responding to his remarks, former Lib Dem transport minister Norman Baker called for rail to be sold “as a generic concept”: “Rail has many advantages over road or air, but it has been left to pressure groups and politicians to make the case. Rail is often quicker, greener, more reliable and certainly more comfortable and convenient than a car in a traffic jam or the interminable delays at airports, but where has the rail industry been? The failure to market rail generically means individual companies are naked when something goes wrong in their patch.”
We've read it in: Passenger Transport, Issue 163 (June 30 2017), Page 4
