UK Rail Report 1990 - The Rail Business

[@moose_ringo9161]

I love how they thought the railways were too expensive in 1990 look at them now!

[@390h8er]

Nice little cameo from Kerry Hamilton near the end. Best known for presenting Channel 4’s ‘Losing Track’ series. A worthwhile watch for any transport buff.

[@Bungle-UK]

She’s pitching the rather bizarre idea that, in response to a 60% reduction in traffic, a huge investment in new lines was needed. You don’t expand your service in the face of such a reduction, you aim to consolidate what you already have.

[@retrorambles517]

30 years later It's still the same

[@michaeljohndennis2231]

It’s got even worse 40 years later

[@rexremedy1733]

Why do railways have to turn up profit, but roads and highways don’t. Please explain!

[@hauskahirvi]

Good question! ;-)

[@lassepeterson2740]

Because trains need payed crews and connecting busses . Driving is done for free of charge by oneself . That is the biggest indirect subsidy ever and hard to beat . How can you profit competing against free labour ? Maybe the government should subsidise me 30+ Pounds an hour to drive myself around .

[@Bungle-UK]

Because you can’t compare the two. The costs of operating the rail infrastructure and providing a service is vast.

[@lassepeterson2740]

@@Bungle-UK Well yes you can . I drive myself free of charge as labour . So i drive an auto or bicycle for FREE vs an expensive train or transit labour costs . A HUGE savings .

[@rexstout8177]

@@lassepeterson2740 Even if the State did that - pay you for driving - roads and cars don't pay their way. I wouldn't expect a dumb Tory to understand basic maths though.

[@Scotford_Maconochie]

Meanwhile those 33 years old Class 91 and Mark 4 coaches are still in service.

[@Bungle-UK]

And why not? Most rail stock has a service life of 40 years.

[@merlinmusic480]

For me the camera quality seems to determine the quality of the British Railways.

[@mikewatt8706]

I was a ticket inspector on br years ago. One day an Irish man asked for a ticket from London to Holyhead. I said 12 pounds and as he handed me 20 pounds I said change at crew to which paddy replied I'll av my change now

[@petergriffin3194]

Were they in punts?

[@robtyman4281]

...oh a tad racist using the word 'paddy'. Was that his actual name...if not, then why use it?

[@poundlandspeedwagonrequiem]

BR failed during it's final years owing to the government basically cutting most if not all modernisation projects in wake of privatisation well as gas price rises during the Gulf War. Privatisation was never going to save the railways.

[@Bungle-UK]

What does gas have to do with it?

[@mr8I7]

What a grim time for the railways...

[@Bungle-UK]

You think passenger growth, increasing quality, investment in infrastructure and hundreds of new trains is grim?

[@mikewatt8706]

The country that invented the railway can't even run one

[@johnkelly1083]

Look at Germany, Italy, Japan or France for example. They know how to run a proper railway. Here in the UK, it's an embarrassment.

[@owenevans83]

You sure about Germany?

[@Bungle-UK]

Pretty sure we still have a railway system that is one of the most comprehensive and well used in the world.

[@wildsurfer12]

@@johnkelly1083 Germany is no better when it comes to trains running on time.

[@johnkelly1083]

@@wildsurfer12 I see what you mean about DB, but it's not just bad management. UK rail infrastructure is literally falling apart and close to capacity. We've had no real major investment in the railways over the past 30 years, apart from HS1 which is a very short high-speed line in the South East. HS2 has been a disaster thanks to rampant NIMBYISM, incompetence and government corruption. The most concerning about HS2 is that it demonstrates that the UK is no longer capable of building major infrastructure.

[@tonyfearn2452]

this"1990 report " does cover some good points BUT what I do find most intresting and puzzleling is that on the subject of staff procductivity. flexible rostering for train crew,s etc,etc and the general obsession to save money ,no mention what-so-ever was / has been made about the hugely top heavy mamagement structure that exsisited that time ( and the same of today !!) and the vast amount of £££.s in "expensie,s ,s and grand salaries " that were paid out to these many hundreds of managers ,who mostly were unaccountable for all of their incompitant decisions they made ! -again no mention was made of the generel acceptence of these hundreds of unessassary managers of just how they " spent and wasted thousands of £££,s unchallenged just to save £100 - maybe future reports should be more impartial and honest and tell ALL sides of the story??

[@SigmundJaehn]

Now each of the private companies have the same highly paid managers plus shareholders.

[@michlo3393]

This is awesome! It's the same at railroads in the US. A locomotive engineer making $120,000 a year is an insurmountable burden, but a useless manager making four times that with no practical experience is highly sought after. I don't know how the corporate culture is in the UK but in America, there is a lot of animosity between those who manage and those who do the work. Typically those who do the work are undervalued and taken for granted while the managers take credit for said labor while being more or less useless and expendable. The fantasy world that RR managers live in is ridiculous.

[@Bungle-UK]

Getting rid of crazy 1800’s working practices is never a bad thing…..sadly we still have some of them today. You can’t run any large organisation without management.

[@rsingh2631]

I didn’t realise they spoke this posh back then😆

[@GreatWestern175]

Its still the same over 30 years later even with modern improved trains.

[@daveytn]

I've never understood how London come from being a literal slum to somewhere everybody has to work and nobody can afford to live, its actually insane

[@wildsurfer12]

That’s because you’ve clearly never lived there or studied it’s history.

[@brianfearn4246]

Not a mobile phone in sight !

[@StuAnderson90]

R.I.P Steve Arnette

[@88jerryw88]

I just looked it up. Sad story indeed.

[@michaeljohndennis2231]

The only solution is to bring in a rail company from the far east and give them unlimited legal powers of direct and complete control with no other interference being allowed for at least 40 years, passing laws in Parliament to do so - this would improve standards and lower fares, rail projects would be done much faster and in half the time - strikes would have to be banned on the railways and trade union leaders would have to be arrested if they started strikes, in fact trade unions on the railways would have to be made illegal

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

Whatever the circumstances, British Rail is still the best. It is my personal view.

[@maydate86]

As compared to third world countries not France and Germany

[@Bungle-UK]

You’re clearly insane.

[@Bungle-UK]

Here lies the problem with state ownership….money is always tight. It’s was the same under governments of both parties. Those who pitch nationalisation as a magic solution couldn’t be more wrong.

[@rustynuts4426]

No change here

[@nkt1]

That's the most pretentious Scottish/RP mashup I've ever heard @6:06. He slips on 'cash' though, so I'm guessing he was putting it on.

[@mineit5796]

Isn’t funny how when steam was around everything was on time now I wonder is it too many paperwork’s to go through or is it our generation now has a lazy attitude?

[@Bungle-UK]

Any evidence to support your statement that every steam train ran on time?