London Banter - View Single Post - ECML: Too much competition or just enough?

tim... · July 15th 16, 09:09 AM posted to uk.transport.london

"Robin9" wrote in message
...

Roland Perry;156771 Wrote:
In message , at 20:17:22 on Wed, 13
Jul 2016, Robin9 remarked:-
Today's "Evening Standard" carries an article celebrating
the service out of Kings Cross. The writer maintains that
competition among train operating companies provides
passengers with better services than are available from
stations such as Paddington where there is less real competition.

The July issue of "Modern Railways" takes the opposite view.
"Bob Poynter argues that adding more services to an already
crowded route is a recipe for disaster" for the ECML. Both articles
were quite persuasive but can they both be correct?-

It's a false dichotomy. While the number of trains per hour/day should
be limited to the physical capacity of the line, with some contingency
for operating incidents, whether they are all operated by one, or
multiple, companies is an entirely different question.
--
Roland Perry

Mr. Poynter's argument is that open access competition
has lead to over-provision between KX and Edinburgh
while towns such as Lincoln are neglected.

Odd you suggested that location as last week I got on an EMT train with a
final destination of Lincoln, taking 3 and a half hours

and I thought "why would anyone come this way" (availability of ultra-cheap
fares excepted)

TIM