Telegrammed by Ithuriel
According to the Greek God's mini-me in the House of Commons, Paul Clark:
"Some hon. Members referred to times gone by. Thirty years ago, the railway was being written off as an expensive, outdated and declining mode of transport."
Not by Sir Peter Parker and Sir Bob Reid it wasn't!
And at that time brand new Intercity 125s were being extended to the East Coast Main Line having given the Western Region the fastest trains in Europe and second only in the world high speed league table to the Japanese bullet trains.
In fact eximious railway historian Dr Terry Gourvish considers this period a Golden Age, when Bob Reid's business led railway was in the making.
The so-called Clark went on to say:
"Some hon. Members claimed that the railways had improved because of privatisation. I well remember in 1997 that the railway lines in my neck of the woods suffered from gross under-investment, were unreliable and had rolling stock from the 1960s and 1970s. [Interruption] That is not nonsense."
So nationalised railway bad, privatised railway bad.
Good grief, we're back to the 'Third Way'!
UPDATE: This from BR PR legend Alan Marshall...
"30 years ago BR was perceived by virtually every railway overseas as one of the best in the world, and operating with the least amount of government subsidy!"
"Where on earth is the rest of the railway industry in rubbishing this sort of comment?"
Presumably busy trying not to bite the hand that feeds it.
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