What's the point of having a rail network if you can't even get a decent cup of coffee on most trains, and the ones that do have a cafe car are always breaking down.
I mean think about it, we're still running trains on lines that were laid out when my grandfather was a boy, and it shows. The infrastructure is outdated, the rolling stock is clapped out, and don't even get me started on the pricing. My proposal is to start again from scratch, and this time put the needs of the passenger first, not the shareholders of the rail companies.
We need to take a long hard look at how other countries run their rail networks, and copy the bits that work. In Switzerland, for example, the trains run to the minute, and they have a proper cafe car with decent food and drink. And it's not just about the trains themselves, it's about the whole experience, from buying your ticket to getting to your destination.
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I think a more sensible approach would be to look at how other countries have successfully privatised their rail networks, such as Japan, where competition between operators has driven down prices and improved services. For example, the bullet train service in Japan is not only incredibly reliable but also offers a high standard of comfort and amenities, all at a relatively affordable price. This could be a model for us to follow, rather than tearing up the tracks and starting from scratch.