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  Off the Rails: The Crisis on Britain's Railways (Paperback) By (author) Andrew Murray

  

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  Short Description for Off the RailsWritten by a Communications Officer for the train-drivers'union ASLEF, this volume exposes the history of mismanagement of Britain's rail network since privatization. A new afterword brings the story up to date, including details on the Potter's Bar accident.
  Full description

  • Publisher: Verso Books
  • Published: 19 September 2002
  • Format: Paperback 224 pages
  • See: Full bibliographic data
  • Categories: Central Government Policies | Business & Management | Railway Transport Industries | British & Irish History | Trains & Railways
  • ISBN 13: 9781859844960 ISBN 10: 1859844960
  • Sales rank: 386,792

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Full description for Off the Rails

• The train derailment at Hatfield in October 2000, which cost four lives, prompted a national rethink about the state of Britain's railways. The crash has been followed by months of near-paralysis on the system, and has put privatization under the spotlight as never before.Off the Railslooks at the disastrous consequences of private ownership for Britain'srailway network and makes the case for the restoration of the system topublic control. It traces the history of the privatization process fromthink-tanks to legislation, and how British Rail came to be sold off ina hurry in one hundred different pieces by the Major government, despite public hostility. It looks at the complex structure of the privately-owned rail industry and identifies the main players, showing how they have failed to work in the public interest. It explains the conflicting roles of the various regulators, and adds up money made for shareholders at the taxpayers' expense in an industry which combines public subsidy with private profit.Written by an author deeply involvedin the industry, Off the Rails draws extensively on the testimony of those who work on the railways the train drivers, maintenance workers, signalers, station staff and passengers' representatives. The Hatfield crash was the final straw for the public reputation of the fragmented railway. The run-up to the disaster and thechaos afterward are examined in detail, as are the limitations of the political response from New Labour. Off the Rails is also a call for change. The book looks at how public ownership could be reintroducedand considers other alternatives for renewing the railways. It also draws on experience in other parts of the world to make the case that only the restoration of the railways as a public service can guarantee the safe and reliable service which passengers expect.