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File on 4: The Great Train Robbery?

The Great Train Robbery?

16/11/2010

BBC Radio 4 - File on 4, The Great Train Robbery?

Why do Britain's railways cost more than elsewhere in Europe? Allan Urry investigates.

As fares are set to rise again, much of the passenger criticism is aimed at the Train Operating Companies, but how much are they to blame? Allan Urry investigates.

It's been dubbed the Great Train Robbery, but Allan Urry asks who's robbing who? 
With fares set to rise, the programme examines why Britain's railways are so much more expensive than other European countries. Passengers in some parts of the UK complain they are caught out by a complex and confusing system of ticketing, which unfairly penalises them.
Does it have to be so difficult to find out what the restrictions are on your journey?
Why aren't there enough carriages for commuters travelling at peaks times? Overcrowding's got so bad, some are left behind on the platform.
Much of the criticism is aimed at the Train Operating Companies, but how much are they to blame? And why does Network Rail, the company responsible for the national infrastructure, soak up the bulk of the 5 billion pounds of taxpayer's subsidy, yet according to its regulator, is 40 per cent less efficient than its EU rivals?

Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

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