The future of the UK railway system: Michael Brooke's vision

Mark Casson

International Business Review, 2004, vol. 13, issue 2, 181-214

Abstract: The UK rail system has been the subject of a bold ideological experiment in privatisation, which has failed. Public subsidy has more than tripled in ten years, new electric trains are in storage because there is insufficient power to run them, and punctuality and reliability have declined to amongst the lowest levels in Europe. The paper analyses the fundamental causes of failure. Its goes beyond the well-known problems caused by separating infrastructure and operation to analyse a wide range of perverse incentives caused by the fragmentation of ownership. It advocates a return to command and control (currently in progress), an integrated programme for the enhancement of the network, and radical changes to the recruitment and training of managers.

Keywords: Railway; Transport; Organisation; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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