It’s funny – if a little sad – to see the UK finally putting an end to rail privatisation, ostensibly due to Covid-19. These operators largely failed to live up to their agreements, offered terrible service, impossibly complicated fare structure (the UK lost an annual trip per year due to double charging me for a trip from London to Durham due to a tiny error on a train ticket). After the operators have taken their profit and there are only losses to be had, those operators are reneging on their obligations entirely.

Train operators have estimated that passenger numbers will only return to 90% of pre-Covid levels in five years’ time, rendering previous franchise agreements economically unviable. So why on earth are ministers still wasting £100billion on HS2? https://telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/09/12/franchises-scrapped-lockdown-rail-costs-rise/

The UK Conservative government who privatised the railroads at great cost to the public purse in the first place is effectively renationalising the railroads, except with an out to funnel some profits in flat fees to the existing operators.

Continue reading UK Railroads to be renationalised after being privatised at great expense. at uncoy.