"Arthur Figgis" ] wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 00:58:24 +0000 (UTC), "Cast_Iron"
wrote:

Arthur Figgis wrote:
On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 19:25:39 +0000 (UTC), "Cast_Iron"
wrote:

With one exception all transport systems in the UK are
privately owned and/or managed.

Has anyone added Translink (bus and rail) to the list yet?

As far as I'm aware Translink is a service provider rather than an
infrastructure owner and not therefore relevant to the subject of this
thread.

Looking at it like that, I think it is a common marketing/branding
name for one rail and two bus organisations, with a structure behiond
them which is somewhat more complicated but unimportant to the end
user, BICBW. I don't know about the buses, but the rail side is
vertically-integrated and publicly owned, and surely 360 km (ish) of
passenger railway must count as part of the UK's transport system?

Also various funiculars.

Funiculars are by their nature very local and generally privately owned
although some may be owned and/or operated by the local council. In terms
of
essential transport provision I feel they fall outside the scope of this
thread.

I must admit I thought most were owned by local authorities, but I've
never looked it up.

Who owns the canals these days?

They are not a general used method of transport in the UK, unfortunately,
being used mainly for leisure and recreation.
From BW's website, "British Waterways is a public corporation sponsored by
the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in
England and Wales and the Scottish Executive in Scotland."