Fundamental lack of interest and investment in the national rail network for decades is probably the answer to the latter.
To the former, you have to understand the culture of procedure that exists on the modern railway. Front line staff generally don't have authority to do much off their own back, ludicrous as it seems to us and the outside world. If I'm sorting even the simplest of faults on my train, I'm expected to report it to the world and his wife before I do anything, even though sometimes I could sort it and be away much quicker if I just could use my initiative and knowledge/experience. First question these days is always did you tick the boxes, and if not, why not? Even if you did what seems like the obvious thing from an outside point of view instead. Sometimes due to a general lack of staff and the time it takes to remedy a power failure, it is safest to close up until it's sorted - I've seen some major ones at Sutton and Clapham Junction where normal use was nigh on impossible.
