LETTERS: A private line to nowhere
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Some of Sir George Young's accusations against British Rail might have been true during the 1950s and 1960s, but the change to accommodate the needs of the public brought about great improvements in the 1980s. Better ticketing, railcards in London and the South-east, better services and passenger awareness were only a few of the marketing aspects that made great strides in recent years. New trains and faster journey timesare also changes giving passengers more advantages.
However, this is not sufficient for the Conservative government for whom privatisation is its most important policy. The word "passengers" has gone and the railway now uses "customers". They are not provided with a public service, but are subjected to the results of team games, derived from splitting up a national network into companies which do not co-operate with each other. This is so important in the eyes of the Tories.
Whether privatisation works remains to be seen but the minister's opinion is not shared by many people. In a few years' time many more customers may have forsaken rail travel and taken to their cars to increase the already serious road and environmental problems.
Michael W George
Reading, Berkshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments