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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Railway company profits should be reinvested not taxpayer's money.
July 6, 2006 12:00 AM
The news that Network Rail, the company that runs Britain's rail network is looking for a bigger slice of taxpayers' money has angered locally-based AM Peter Black.
Network Rail are seeking a grant of £7bn to 'ease overcrowding' on the network over the next ten years. It already gets £4bn a year to run the system. Around 70% of rail journeys happen in the south east of England, and this year the railways got 40% of the whole transport budget.
"These are enormous sums of taxpayers' money," said Mr Black. "What is particularly galling is that I do not hear the privatised train operators offering to plough in some of their profits to help out. Instead, we are told that where there is overcrowding, these self-same operators will be seeking to raise fares yet again to 'solve' the problem. We already have the highest rail fares in Europe. No wonder rail privatisation is still seen as a botch-up forced through by the Tories for reasons of party dogma."
"It is quite clear that rail travel is better for the environment than ever-increasing car use, or air travel. If we are serious about promoting a switch between road and rail, or indeed air and rail, then considerable public money will be needed. What I want to see is equal shares. The privatised rail operators are doing very nicely out of rocketing fares, and eye-watering subsidies. It is time for them to stop splashing out on dividends to shareholders, and spend more of their profits on improving the infrastructure and helping the environment. Why should it always be the passenger, and the taxpayer who have to cough up?"
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