Not-for-profit rail franchises

[thebennyboy]

As i live in Wales i regularly check the Wales section of BBC News and say an article about a not-for-profit firm being set up by the Welsh Government.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-30344443

A not-for-profit firm could run Welsh train services from 2018, Transport Minister Edwina Hart has said.

Welsh ministers will decide who runs the Wales and Borders franchise routes around Wales and into parts of England, excluding mainline services to London.

The services are currently run by Arriva Trains Wales, a subsidiary of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

I would personally be in favour of this, as im sure many people would be. It would allow that 3% of operator "profit" to be invested in things such as new trains and station improvements. The trains that currently run in most of Wales are trains that were introduced in the 1980's and are horrifically out of date.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacer_(train)

In 2020 these "Pacer" trains are due to be scrapped because they do not meet the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2008, some of them are being kept and upgraded to comply with these regulations. The South Wales valley lines and London-South Wales line due for electrification by 2018 which will mean the need for new trains, i for one won't accept getting given "hand-me-down" trains from other parts of the UK. I believe that for Wales it would mean more investment in our desperately under-invested railway network.

I hope more is invested in North Wales, some of the lines here still use manually hand-driven signals, even on the North Wales main line!

What's your opinion on this? I know this is more particularly about Wales, but if you use the railway regularly, would you prefer a "not-for-profit" operator running franchises?

 

[Destination]

Does this not for profit organisation still receive the massive subsidy that is supplied to run rail travel at the cost it currently stands? Or does it stand completely upon its own feet with no public money propping up the industry?

The subsidy runs at around 50% of a ticket price last I heard, has this changed much?

 

[Danthus]

Haven't prices risen today above inflation?

I like the idea of certain things being non profit, the argument against it will always be that in scuppers in vestment.

 

[thebennyboy]

Haven't prices risen today above inflation?

I like the idea of certain things being non profit, the argument against it will always be that in scuppers in vestment.

They are due to rise by 2.2% in January i believe. These are apparently "needed" to put more of the cost of running the railways onto the commuter and off the taxpayer. I use the bus a lot more now, no price rises and generally more reliable!