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Modern Railways is the last to complain when controversial news stories pour into our word-processors of their own volition, but recent events make us wonder whether it is any way to run a railway.
Take the Office of Rail Regulation's decision to award the remaining paths on the East Coast Main Line to Grand Central and Hull Trains. Given that the railways is supposed to be under the iron grip of Dr Mike Mitchell and DfT Rail, how come that open access entrepreneurs are allowed to put at risk GNER's eyewatering premium payments?
Open access was, of course, a fundamental part of the original privatisation model, with competing operators driving up quality of service. Of course, reality soon intruded when it was realised that competition could destroy the revenue line of a franchise plan.
If we could be bothered to blow the dust off the archives we could provide Chapter and Verse on what was known as Moderation of Competition. But from memory the policy was a gradual relation of regulation. Meanwhile, no one was going to rock the boat – were they?
Happily, if you live in Hull , some people did. Not dynamic thrusting entrepreurial newcomers shaking up the moribund railway but deeply experienced old railway managers, with the very skills needed to run profitable open access services developed and honed in Sir Robert Reid's academy of the business led railway.
And today Hull Trains, small but perfectly formed, flourishes. And another business created from the old railway, Grand Central , now has its foot in the door on the East Coast, having previously had the door slammed by the Rail Regulator when it applied for trans=Pennine open access rights.
Not only that, Hull Trains old-railway progenitor Renaissance Trains has linked up with Laing Rail, led by another old railway manager to create the excruciatingly named Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway Company. This is the sort of nomenclature, redolent of tops hats and crinolines, that gets railways a sad name. Behaving like George Hudson is to be commended, trying