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Title: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: grahame on March 04, 2019, 03:48:54 From City a.m. (http://www.cityam.com/274064/drop-rail-franchise-system-head-head-competition-slash)
Quote Drop rail franchise system for head-to-head competition to slash fares, says Adam Smith Institute Rail fares for British passengers could be slashed if the franchise system was dropped in favour of head-to-head competition, a leading thinktank has argued. The free market thinktank the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) said an “open access” system, which would allow different train companies to compete on the same route, would drive down fares and operating costs, while also boosted innovation. In its new paper, called ‘How to fix Britain's railways: The case for long-distance rail competition’, the ASI claims the open access model was commonplace in Europe, but not in the UK, where only one per cent of routes conformed to the model. It said on the routes where open for access was in operation, fares were 55 per cent cheaper than on those where there was a single monopoly franchise. Adrian Quine, lead author of the paper and rail consultant, said: “In nearly every other industry where ‘like for like’ competition exists, consumers have benefited. In some countries in the EU where there are multiple long distance operators competing on the same routes, passengers have enjoyed lower ticket prices, greater choice, vastly improved customer service and innovation for years. [continues] Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: CyclingSid on March 04, 2019, 07:16:59 Take it to their logical conclusion they will probably argue rules and signalling are a restraint to free trade.
Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: 4064ReadingAbbey on March 04, 2019, 16:25:47 From City a.m. (http://www.cityam.com/274064/drop-rail-franchise-system-head-head-competition-slash) I'm struggling to think where in Europe open access is 'commonplace'. At the moment I can think of a couple of routes in Italy, a couple of services in Germany, Poland, Sweden and Austria and then...Quote Drop rail franchise system for head-to-head competition to slash fares, says Adam Smith Institute Rail fares for British passengers could be slashed if the franchise system was dropped in favour of head-to-head competition, a leading thinktank has argued. The free market thinktank the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) said an “open access” system, which would allow different train companies to compete on the same route, would drive down fares and operating costs, while also boosted innovation. In its new paper, called ‘How to fix Britain's railways: The case for long-distance rail competition’, the ASI claims the open access model was commonplace in Europe, but not in the UK, where only one per cent of routes conformed to the model. It said on the routes where open for access was in operation, fares were 55 per cent cheaper than on those where there was a single monopoly franchise. Adrian Quine, lead author of the paper and rail consultant, said: “In nearly every other industry where ‘like for like’ competition exists, consumers have benefited. In some countries in the EU where there are multiple long distance operators competing on the same routes, passengers have enjoyed lower ticket prices, greater choice, vastly improved customer service and innovation for years. [continues] ...can anybody help? Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: stuving on March 04, 2019, 17:16:39 I'm struggling to think where in Europe open access is 'commonplace'. At the moment I can think of a couple of routes in Italy, a couple of services in Germany, Poland, Sweden and Austria and then... ...can anybody help? Italy is the only example I can think of on main lines - and the only one in this "research" report (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56eddde762cd9413e151ac92/t/5c7bc1d2ee6eb044cf113f09/1551614434724/Open+access+paper+-+Adrian+Quine+with+Sophie+Jarvis.pdf), which you can read yourself if you aren't too allergic. While competition is generally a good thing, it does lead to perverse results where there is a capacity limit, or an agreed need for a lot of subsidy. Both of those (i.e. commuter services and sparse rural ones) they exempt from their panacea. But they don't register that capacity issues also affect most long-distance routes in some places. Come to that, where airlines hit the same problem - with take-off and landing slots - they do all they can to avoid fair competition playing any part. Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: eightonedee on March 04, 2019, 21:48:35 Clearly one of the authors has a strong background in railway engineering, line capacity assessment, rolling stock procurement and letting contracts for the provision of public services by private contractors-
Quote Prior to her position at the Adam Smith Institute, Sophie worked at Lloyd’s of London as a trainee underwriter. She studied Classics at the University of Bristol, specialising in female courtesans in 5th Century Athens. That's why I have to post questions to others on this forum about the rail industry - I should have studied courtesans in 5th century Greece at university! Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: Richard Fairhurst on March 04, 2019, 22:26:18 I'm definitely not going to cast any stones on that front.
signed, Richard, MA Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: plymothian on March 05, 2019, 20:01:01 Privatisation was sold by the Major government on the basis of open access, ie one TOC competing with the other in the same was a buses can. Unfortunately it was realised too late that one train cannot overtake another like a bus can and, like bus routes, everyone will want the Intercity routes and leave the branches and non profitable lines to wither without local council subsidy.
Title: Re: Extend open access says Adam Smith Post by: Sixty3Closure on March 09, 2019, 14:58:50 I think the most generous thing i can say about most of the papers from the Adam Smith Institute is that they stimulate debate.
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