> So the UK rail network was privatised in the 1990s with tracks and stations remaining under government control and private companies bid for a 'franchise' run

> So the UK rail network was privatised in the 1990s with tracks and stations remaining under government control and private companies bid for a 'franchise' running train services for whole regions. The tracks and stations were also privatised as "Railtrack" but they subsequently went bankrupt and had to be brought back into public ownership. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railtrack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railtrack > So basically franchises operate as regional monopolies and meaning passengers don't have any real choice of providers? This is inevitable given many routes operate at the limits of capacity. There are a handful of 'open access' operators outside the franchise system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_operating_trains_in_the_United_Kingdom#Passenger_operators_in_Great_Britain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_operating_tr...