27 March is the 50th anniversary of the first Beeching Report, The Reshaping of British Railways, which changed the face of British transport forever. Railways shaped the modern world – through engineering, craftsmanship, aesthetics, enterprise and the democratising of travel.
The collapse of the West Coast Mainline Rail Franchise process offers an opportunity.
It would be a massive mistake to rerun the whole franchising process. This is not the first time a rail franchise process has dramatically fallen apart.
Much like the NHS, the health of the railways is one of the few aspects of British life that can draw passionate support from across the political spectrum.
Certain stories tend to follow a familiar pattern. Take the yearly hike in rail fares. Yet another ticket price increase just above, or way above, inflation is announced. Government trots out the usual reasons: necessary to pay for upgrades, expanding existing fleet, cope with passenger numbers.