It's early 2019 and the BBC is revealing to the general public an investigation that should immediately set alarm bells ringing in the English political world. 79% of British passengers said they were satisfied with rail services. A satisfaction index at its lowest level since 2008, revealed by Transportfocus. This agency is responsible for evaluating user feedback every year.
Since then, this feeling has hardly improved... In its spring 2020 survey, Transportfocus revealed that this figure had fallen again. Only 78.5% of users were satisfied with their train operating companies. 73.8% were satisfied with punctuality, 73% with the capacity offered and only 47% with the fares and fare offer..
Some rail companies, such as Northern and Great Northern are rated among the worst for service. Two other companies, Heathrow Express and Chiltern RailwaysOn the other hand, the company's performance has been favourably assessed. Heathrow Express achieved a satisfaction score of 96% in 2019..
This result proves that the privatisation of the British railways, carried out between 1994 and 1997 by John Major's government, has been a success. a real disaster for users. The only visible effects: a national company, British Rail, split up into twenty or so private entities. And rail infrastructure management entrusted to Railtrack. All this is accompanied by sharp price rises, incomprehensible pricing and a lack of coordinated timetables..
Following a rail disaster, the government decided to dismantle Railtrack. It was discovered that the subsidies paid to Railtrack to restore the British rail network had been used to pay dividends to shareholders. Railtrack thus became a public company under the acronym Network Rail.
Welcome to Great British Railways
Le Johnson government now wants to rationalise the network. Last month, Grant Shapps, Minister for Transport, announced the creation of a new state body to 2023. Called Great British Railways (GBR), the new entity will set timetables and prices, sell tickets in England and Wales and manage the rail infrastructure..
The Minister explained that the new structure would replace a system that was "too complicated and fragmented". Private companies will become franchisees responsible for the operation of the routes by GBR. However, they will no longer be able to set the conditions of carriage themselves.
The government hopes that this more unified rail system will make it possible to offer more "coherent, high-quality services" from 2023, as well as better connections.
The changes envisaged include
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- a simplified ticket purchasingwhich critics have long deplored as confusing.
- No more tickets payable only when used (rather than in advance), with the option of a digital version for smartphones.
- A a single, simpler clearing system in the event of delays.
What's more, from 21 June, the rail companies to sell flexible season tickets available for certain people who make two or three journeys a week. This pass will allow passengers to travel for eight days over a 28-day period. It also represents a significant saving compared with current offers.
