Member

For many years under franchising, the Brighton main line was an example of this. Inefficient, unco-ordinated service patterns limited the total number of services that could run, and passengers at some stations faced irregular intervals between services. It was possible to construct a more coherent timetable with more services overall and more regular calling patterns only when the two competing franchised operators were combined into one. Likewise, the best outcome for freight is the opportunity provided by more usable freight paths becoming available. That, too, is achieved by a sensible plan that enables space to be made at the right time in the right places, not by competition for competition’s sake.