Transports of delight
Sir: I would have taken Andrew Neil’s criticism of our transport system (‘Our transport system is a joke’, 10 May) more seriously had it not been so disingenuous.
I understand the frustrations faced by rail passengers when events beyond their control conspire to delay or cancel planned journeys, but it is wrong to assume that a bad experience — particularly on a Sunday — is typical of the modern British railways. To make an objective judgment of the railways’ success, it is necessary to leave behind old assumptions that ignore how much the railways have improved.
Performance is higher today than for the last seven years. We have one of the youngest train fleets in Europe. Britain’s first dedicated highspeed rail line is now open and demand for rail travel has never been higher. Engineering works on the West Coast Main Line at weekends and holiday periods this year — the cause of Mr Neil’s delayed journey — are necessary in order to achieve the service improvements and higher capacity that we all want to see on that route from the end of this year.
And while I can understand his outrage at the price of his first-class ticket, is he suggesting the government intervenes in the market to subsidise the fares of business people and journalists using public money?
Tom Harris MP
Rail Minister, House of Commons, London SW1
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