> It's not as if you can set up competing parallel networks running trains side by side between identical destinations at varying levels of speed and comfort.

> It's not as if you can set up competing parallel networks running trains side by side between identical destinations at varying levels of speed and comfort. To an extent, this does exist on some routes. Both LNER and Grand Central operate trains up the East Coast Main Line, for example. Then there are destinations served by multiple routes, like Cambridge, Oxford, and Bedford, where each route has its own operator. Competition is impractical for most journeys, though.