Articles
1. Do you trust the government to make good decisions about important aspects of the rail industry, such as network planning and train procurement?
No: 57%
Yes: 30%
Don’t know: 13%
PE readers, perhaps unsurprisingly, show a lack of faith in the competency of the government and the rela-tive short-termism that rail industry policy can suffer from. Some note, though, that rail is not the only sector to have this problem.
2. Would you prefer the rail sector, including Network Rail, to be privately owned and run?
No: 60%
Yes: 30%
Don’t know: 10%
However, a clear majority of engineers believe there needs to be central government control over planning and costs to balance national needs against local.
3. Do you think the railway sector would perform better if it were entirely renationalised?
No: 54%
Yes: 35%
Don’t know: 11%
Wholesale renationalisation is not on the agenda for most, though. The railways need commercial nous, but many question the current level of subsidies.
4. Do you think the way the rail industry is currently set up is sustainable
in the long term?
No: 56%
Yes: 24%
Don’t know: 20%
Unusually, PE readers don’t like the status quo. Neverthless they back a public/private mix.
5. Do you consider railway engineering expertise in the UK to be as strong as in other European countries?
No: 40%
Yes: 42%
Don’t know: 18%
An even split shows that, although UK engineers live up to our great railway heritage, there are lessons to be learned from how other countries manage and invest in their infrastructure.
6. Do you think the rail sector is too slow at introducing new technologies, such as computerised signalling and electrification?
No: 12%
Yes: 73%
Don’t know: 15%
The conservatism of the rail industry comes under fire here from PE readers, although most also note that safety should always come first.
7. Do you expect the use of rail to decline in the future because of alternative technology such as driverless cars and emissions-free vehicles?
No: 83%
Yes: 11%
Don’t know: 6%
The sensible argument that prevails here is that society will need more of almost all types of transport as
the population increases in the future. Trains may change, but they won’t become superfluous any time soon.
8. Do you agree that the aim of building more and faster high-speed rail routes in the UK is the correct one?
No: 26%
Yes: 68%
Don’t know: 6%
Our panel got the most excited about this question, as it alludes to HS2 and HS3. A sober minority believe capacity enhancement and electrification should come before whizzy high-speed trains. However, most see the more widespread introduction of higher-speed rail infrastructure and services as long overdue in the UK, and that it is an opportunity for the industry to grow in an area where it lags behind other countries.
Would you like to participate in the PE reader surveys? If so send us an email to pe@caspianmedia.com with the words Panel Member in the subject line and we will add you to future correspondence