Urko: I completely agree. All governments have treated airlines with kid gloves - giving them tax breaks etc. It is time we put this money into high speed rail. Remember though, that while France and Spain have some excellent high profile major rail links, their regional services are worse than ours - swings and roundabouts as they say. This government has presided over a massive increase in rail use in this country and if you book in advance it is still far cheaper and quicker than air. For example, a return to Manchester from Brighton can cost around £35 and get you from city centre to city centre in less than 4 hours. Air would take twice as long, be much more hassle and mostly costly. People however find air travel has a snob value and what daily mail reader believes in climate change anyway?
Neil, why do we need to subsidise railways even more!?!
The money simply goes into the pockets of railway staff following every strike! Why do tube drivers deserve to be on £35k!?!
Manchester to Brighton £35 each way by train on a Sunday!?! You're having a laugh! I flew from Manchester to Southampton the other day, it was more expensive than by train but then the train is massively subsidised at my expense already and would have been a far longer journey (ignoring the inherent delays in the system)
"why do we need to subsidise railways even more!?!" (Snafu)
Because there isn't a level playing field. Aviation does not pay anything like its real external costs. For instance, airlines pay no tax on theif fuel, whereas railways do.
Of course, the subsidy is much bigger than it needs to be because the wildly dysfunctional and inefficient privatised structure concocted (against all expert advice) by the Tories costs the Treasury four times as much as British Rail did.
Aviation does not pay anything like its real external costs. For instance, airlines pay no tax on theif fuel, whereas railways do
That's always really annoyed me. I don't fly so I don't see why I should subsidise the holiday arrangements of those that do. Why are we still adopting a 'predict and provide' model for avaition, and considering R3 at Heathrow, when we abandoned that for road building years ago?
He has some interesting things to say - and quite a bit I agree with - one of my favourites was
ReplyDeletethis where he quite sensibly asks "Why is this Labour government so bloody useless on these issues?"
Urko: I completely agree. All governments have treated airlines with kid gloves - giving them tax breaks etc. It is time we put this money into high speed rail. Remember though, that while France and Spain have some excellent high profile major rail links, their regional services are worse than ours - swings and roundabouts as they say. This government has presided over a massive increase in rail use in this country and if you book in advance it is still far cheaper and quicker than air. For example, a return to Manchester from Brighton can cost around £35 and get you from city centre to city centre in less than 4 hours. Air would take twice as long, be much more hassle and mostly costly. People however find air travel has a snob value and what daily mail reader believes in climate change anyway?
ReplyDeleteNeil, why do we need to subsidise railways even more!?!
ReplyDeleteThe money simply goes into the pockets of railway staff following every strike! Why do tube drivers deserve to be on £35k!?!
Manchester to Brighton £35 each way by train on a Sunday!?! You're having a laugh! I flew from Manchester to Southampton the other day, it was more expensive than by train but then the train is massively subsidised at my expense already and would have been a far longer journey (ignoring the inherent delays in the system)
"why do we need to subsidise railways even more!?!" (Snafu)
ReplyDeleteBecause there isn't a level playing field. Aviation does not pay anything like its real external costs. For instance, airlines pay no tax on theif fuel, whereas railways do.
Of course, the subsidy is much bigger than it needs to be because the wildly dysfunctional and inefficient privatised structure concocted (against all expert advice) by the Tories costs the Treasury four times as much as British Rail did.
Aviation does not pay anything like its real external costs. For instance, airlines pay no tax on theif fuel, whereas railways do
ReplyDeleteThat's always really annoyed me. I don't fly so I don't see why I should subsidise the holiday arrangements of those that do. Why are we still adopting a 'predict and provide' model for avaition, and considering R3 at Heathrow, when we abandoned that for road building years ago?