3 ms·
I'm unclear what your argument is here. Having rail be so expensive or badly run that people decide to use roads instead doesn't seem like a win for privatisat
by chimprich 3y ago
I'm unclear what your argument is here.
Having rail be so expensive or badly run that people decide to use roads instead doesn't seem like a win for privatisation.
Encouraging people onto roads or even flying is also a disaster for tackling climate change.
- iso1631 3y agoSince privatisation in 1994 to pre-covid 2019, rail usage increased from 36 billion km to 80 billion km, more than doubling. Road increased from 666 to 741 bkm, increasing 11%.
- chimprich 3y agoAn interesting data point to discuss, but not much of a vote for privatisation (which I assume the implication is). In that time we have seen significant urbanisation, which means both more people living in cities and people having to commute to cities to work. Both of these (and limited road capacity) mean more rail travel. In theory this extra cash and economies of scale should have been an ideal situation whereby rail transport could be significantly improved. In practice we've seen above-inflation fare rises and (in my experience) dreadful services.