Return to old ways would be disaster

COLIN Breed MP has free access provided by us, the taxpayers, to the excellent information resources of the House of Commons as well as free first-class rail travel between Cornwall and London. So it is inexcusable that, once again, he gets his facts wrong and makes the false allegations that the railways since privatisation 'have provided us with a far worse service' and 'privatisation has been a disaster'. (Westminster Lowdown, Cornish Times, Oct 1). No, Mr Breed. During more than 40 years of nationalisation the number of passengers and the amount of freight carried by our railways continually declined. With privatisation this decline has been reversed. Freight carried has increased. The number of passengers has gone up by more than 30 per cent. And the safety record has improved. No, Mr Breed, under nationalisation thousands of miles of vital branch lines, instead of being converted to lightweight electric or diesel railcars, were destroyed, forcing people and freight onto the roads. Since privatisation track has been increased, including, even though it appears to have escaped the notice of Mr Breed, the restoration of previously ripped out double track on the main line in Cornwall. No, Mr Breed, far from deteriorating the buffet and dining-car service on the Penzance-Paddington service has since privatisation steadily improved and is now much better than it used to be, hence so popular with passengers. The training of staff has greatly improved and they are now almost invariably courteous, friendly and competent. It's amazing how, in such a small space on a lurching train, the staff provide such superb service, with skill, patience and cheerfulness. Also the quality of the food and drink has improved. No, Mr Breed, since privatisation a vast amount of new rolling stock has been ordered. It's in use on most lines, including Paddington-Bristol-South Wales. The line which you and I most use, Paddington-Penzance, still has old nationalisation-era British Railways trains. But can it really be true that you don't know that new faster trains have already been ordered, manufactured and delivered for this line; staff are already being trained to run this new rolling stock and it should be in use a few weeks from now, before Christmas? And take a look at the much improved Liskeard railway station. No, Mr Breed. Going back to dreary old communist-style take-it-or-leave-it nationalisation, when the management even managed to make a hash of the brilliant British invention of tilting trains, would be a disaster.

Keith Brian St-Martin-by-Looe