The Conservatives claim to favour market competition. By gradually taking the existing rail franchises back under public control when each runs out (Report, 11 May), we will be able to compare how well public and private management of this key public service perform. As franchises terminate at different dates over the next 10 to 15 years, there will be a period when public and private provision can be impartially compared, both in terms of fare prices and the quality of service provided. Currently we have one of the most expensive rail services in Europe. Annually commuters are asked to pay fare increases above both inflation and salary increases (particularly for nurses and other public service workers across the whole country). Rail franchises have been able to make large profits (their management’s prime measure of success) because they lack any real competition. The problems of taking them back under public control will be minimal: the government already has experience of taking back several franchises which had failed to provide adequate levels of service.
Apparently Theresa May’s manifesto is to adopt Ed Miliband’s proposal to regulate consumers’ energy prices by ensuring these are reduced as market prices fall. Do you think she will now include a variant of Corbyn’s proposals for the rail network?
Brian Bean
London
• Owen Jones is fundamentally misrepresenting some key facts about today’s railway (Tory energy cap is not a policy. It’s a confession, 11 May). Twenty years ago, Britain’s railway ran at a £2bn-a-year loss in terms of its day-to-day costs. As one of the safest and fastest-growing railways in Europe, it now more than covers those costs, contributing £200m a year to improving the network.
This financial turnaround is underwriting increased public spending on improving vital national infrastructure and the quality of service received by passengers. Together our industry is investing, competing and innovating to improve as one team. Our promise is to deliver 6,400 extra services a day and 5,500 new carriages by 2021, part of a £50bn-plus upgrade plan to give better journeys for passengers and make local economies stronger and fairer, now and for the future.
Paul Plummer
Chief executive, Rail Delivery Group
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