Re: Connex set to lose UK rail franchise

[Chris Bell <c.bell@latrobe.edu.au>]

David Bromage wrote:

> Connex is expected to lose its south central franchise after criticism of
> its management and performance.
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_987000/987683.stm

Somehow that doesn't surprise me.  When I was there last month I noticed that
the rolling stock on the line from Bognor was the same swing-door stock as
when we originally moved to the area in 1979, and even then it wasn't
anything like new.  My wife caught the train to London from Arundel on a
Sunday, and it was late only 10 minutes from the start of the run.  The
locals didn't seem very impressed with Connex either. This is a worry,
because they are my local railway here in Melbourne, and they have improved
things here.

Having said that, my impression from travelling around the UK was that almost
all the infrastructure was getting rather decrepit.  Even Virgin is using
quite old rollingstock, with some peculiar hybrid HST sets with a diesel loco
one end and a class 86 electric on the other!  I've no idea how that works.

Compared with the new ICE, Eurostar and Thalys sets in Europe, the UK is not
really going anywhere, privatised or not.

Chris Bell