Free rail travel to help climate change?

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Okay, I’ll prepare myself for a world of pain in the responses here but...

Say the UK were to operate the trains like they do the NHS, funded by taxes, and UK standard class rail travel therefore become free, could this be a potential step for solving the issue of climate change? Only because it would surely encourage more people to take the train (for free), rather than spend money on petrol for a very-bad-for-the-environment car journey.

Just a thought.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Okay, I’ll prepare myself for a world of pain in the responses here but...

Say the UK were to operate the trains like they do the NHS, funded by taxes, and UK standard class rail travel therefore become free, could this be a potential step for solving the issue of climate change? Only because it would surely encourage more people to take the train (for free), rather than spend money on petrol for a very-bad-for-the-environment car journey.

Just a thought.

The railways are a money pit for the Government (but InterCity did operate in profit during it's final years) and having the private operators at least gives some more money to them.

 

[6Gman]

Okay, I’ll prepare myself for a world of pain in the responses here but...

Say the UK were to operate the trains like they do the NHS, funded by taxes, and UK standard class rail travel therefore become free, could this be a potential step for solving the issue of climate change? Only because it would surely encourage more people to take the train (for free), rather than spend money on petrol for a very-bad-for-the-environment car journey.

Just a thought.

What if it simply meant people made more journeys? Each preceded and followed by an additional car journey?

The analogy with the NHS is also false, given that access to NHS services are controlled (the dentist will see you twice a year; the GP will see you only when there is an appointment available; you can - generally - only access hospital services by being referred etc etc). You can't really control access to transport in the same way. What is to stop every teenager in Wilmslow, Macclesfield, Rochdale, Bolton etc etc deciding to go into Manchester every Saturday?

 

[Bald Rick]

Firstly, it would be difficult to get any more people on most trains in peak times.

Secondly, it would cost the government a LOT of money. £10bn a year farebox, plus lost VAT and duty on fuel, probably the same again.

Thirdly, it would discriminate against those who don’t have a railway

Fourthly, it would grossly distort the housing market, and other areas of the economy.

But other than that, I’m sure it would be fine!

 

[fowler9]

Firstly, it would be difficult to get any more people on most trains in peak times.

Secondly, it would cost the government a LOT of money. £10bn a year farebox, plus lost VAT and duty on fuel, probably the same again.

Thirdly, it would discriminate against those who don’t have a railway

Fourthly, it would grossly distort the housing market, and other areas of the economy.

But other than that, I’m sure it would be fine!

It could be said that the housing market distorts many other markets already. Where once a single wage earner could pay for a home now two people need to work to pay for it and this there is an increase in the number of working adults needing to travel to work and pay for the house and for child care. The tax payer in general is paying for housing benefits claimants to receive money to pay buy to let owners to make a profit. Wages are not going up in line with inflation. Something has to give.

 

[Belperpete]

Something has to give.

People have been saying that about house prices for decades. Unfortunately it is the law of supply and demand.