Increase in railway travel and the struggling railway infrastructure

[Chris2301]

There was an article on Midlands Today about london midland struggling to keep up with demand in use of the railways. Do you think the government should step in and help provide additional rolling stock for the private train companies or is it time (duno how they will do it) to renationalise the railway industry

[the trainbasher]

Well if you look at it the railway is nationalised in a way by the way of franchising along with Network Rail

Personally I think the Government should privatise it fully and allow the companies to put as much stock as they feel they need on it.

[Bob]

Even your beloved Tory Party haven't gone that far....surprising though, theyve flogged almost everything off that we owned...

[Chris2301]

Hopefully they can sort out the franchising first lol, transpennine/northern are up next i wonder whats guna happen to them. Rumours of one huge franchise instead of two might happen. Tho it would be nice to see nx group go for a rail franchise but i doubt it after the east coast problems

[PM]

Hopefully they can sort out the franchising first lol, transpennine/northern are up next i wonder whats guna happen to them. Rumours of one huge franchise instead of two might happen. Tho it would be nice to see nx group go for a rail franchise but i doubt it after the east coast problems

NX do have rail franchises, and not just in the UK!

[Bob]

Labour are planning a public sector operator so some sections of the railways could be run publicly :-))))

[the trainbasher]

@Bob I certainly would be happy to see a situation with the railways that is similar to buses

@Chris2301 they do have the Essex Thameside one.

[Bob]

@ trainbasher I bet you would.  Cant see it happening though.  Ed miliband did have a point when he said how crazy itwas that the only ppublic sector that wasn't allowed to bid for our railway franchises was our own!  Hopefully thatll change.  Cant really see the tories winning

[Chris2301]

I could see nx taking over london midland and naming it west midlands train and painting the local lines as the new livery on the 9s and london trains as platinum livery. With the election i feel its guna be a hung parliament again... so who knows what will happen to HS2 and the railway with the new gov

[Bob]

Hopefully a hung parliament minus the conservatives

[the trainbasher]

I could see nx taking over london midland and naming it west midlands train and painting the local lines as the new livery on the 9s and london trains as platinum livery. With the election i feel its guna be a hung parliament again... so who knows what will happen to HS2 and the railway with the new gov

they did have the LM franchise (Central Trains and Silverlink) until 2007 before the franchise alterations

Hopefully a hung parliament minus the conservatives

my reckoning is Conservative UKIP coalition result

[Bob]

Although in fairness I hope London midland keep the chase line, their inability to collect fares from cannock on any Saturday night service ive been on in the last year has resulted in loads of free trips to brum for me and hundreds of other travellers :-D

[Bob]

Well as almost every poll is predicting no more than single figures ukip gains ( although I can imagine thick people might vote for them), doubt that is gonna realistically happen

[Chris2301]

The brum to shrewsbury line need more tph as they are over capacity on peak journeys

[the trainbasher]

That would be great however I can't help feeling it would be more sensible to vote Conservative to ensure they have a majority and eliminate the risk of Labour

If Ed Milipede gets into number 10 I'm moving to Iceland

I concur.

Although in fairness I hope London midland keep the chase line, their inability to collect fares from cannock on any Saturday night service ive been on in the last year has resulted in loads of free trips to brum for me and hundreds of other travellers :-D

And putting yourself at risk of a S5 prosecutio?