4 ms·

TfL doesn't actually run the TfL Rail services—the big difference is their operator receives a fixed sum for operating them, compared with the other operators w

TfL doesn't actually run the TfL Rail services—the big difference is their operator receives a fixed sum for operating them, compared with the other operators where they pay a fixed amount to the DfT and pocket any profit they get beyond that. Arguably, the big difference is that it means TfL Rail will only get investment if TfL decides, because there's no motivation for the operator to do so. At the same time, TfL Rail isn't in competition with the Underground, etc. so better inter-modal connectivity becomes more worth investment.

njs12345 11y ago
The operator also has no control over fares and branding, I'd argue that's a big difference too.
makomk 11y ago
In practice, other British rail companies only seem to make improvements if the government pays for them most of the time too. There's very little actual private-sector investment in the railways; it basically just seems to be a license to print money.
- twic 11y ago
  Mostly, yes. One honourable exception is Chiltern's Project Evergreen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Railways#Project_Evergreen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Railways#Project_Ever... But then, Chiltern wasn't run by a bus company, but by a group of British Rail managers who knew exactly what they were doing: http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/business/profiles/8227427.History_of_Chiltern_Railways/ http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/business/profiles/8227427.Histo... I suppose it also helped that it was a line with potential to steal traffic from already overloaded intercity services to Oxford and Birmingham.
  - lmm 11y ago
    Chiltern are owned by Deutsche Bahn are they not? A state operator running a better railway, who'd've thought it. (And aren't the improvements all funded by the back door by central government anyway?)
- gsnedders 11y ago
  There's plenty of improvements that are made by TOCs, though often not the things that get big headlines: service frequency increases are often done by the TOC, wifi on-board became commonplace on intercity services without government funding, etc. Certainly there's plenty of cases where the improvements are only made because they're a requirement of the franchise specification (with or without funding), but I think it's unfair to say that all improvements have happened because of government intervention.

njs12345 11y ago

The operator also has no control over fares and branding, I'd argue that's a big difference too.

makomk 11y ago

In practice, other British rail companies only seem to make improvements if the government pays for them most of the time too. There's very little actual private-sector investment in the railways; it basically just seems to be a license to print money.

twic 11y ago
Mostly, yes. One honourable exception is Chiltern's Project Evergreen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Railways#Project_Evergreen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Railways#Project_Ever... But then, Chiltern wasn't run by a bus company, but by a group of British Rail managers who knew exactly what they were doing: http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/business/profiles/8227427.History_of_Chiltern_Railways/ http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/business/profiles/8227427.Histo... I suppose it also helped that it was a line with potential to steal traffic from already overloaded intercity services to Oxford and Birmingham.
- lmm 11y ago
  Chiltern are owned by Deutsche Bahn are they not? A state operator running a better railway, who'd've thought it. (And aren't the improvements all funded by the back door by central government anyway?)
gsnedders 11y ago
There's plenty of improvements that are made by TOCs, though often not the things that get big headlines: service frequency increases are often done by the TOC, wifi on-board became commonplace on intercity services without government funding, etc. Certainly there's plenty of cases where the improvements are only made because they're a requirement of the franchise specification (with or without funding), but I think it's unfair to say that all improvements have happened because of government intervention.