Killingworth
Established Member
For starters go back to, say, 1900. Most big companies built their own locomotives and rolling stock. British Railways still did at Derby, Doncaster, York, etc. Lots of jobs now hived off were performed by employees of the railway companies, including in their own station hotels.
Across the industry far less is now under the direct control of BRs successor TOCs and probably won't immediately change even if their day today operations may be brought under more direct public control. My station is cleaned and maintained by ISS for Northern. Train catering is mostly provided by Rail Gourmet. Trains may be maintained by Hitachi or Siemens. Network Rail trained former employees still do much of the work, but for contractors. TOCs themselves are effectively outsourced.
Some will contend this is more efficient, and there's the conflict. How much further can that go, and how much should it be reined back? As an example, Northern outsourced their call centre work until - the provider went bust and they had to hurriedly take it back in house.
I see the proliferation of assorted rolling stock being ordered with probably over 5 years through specification, order, testing and eventual full introduction with a likely service life of 30 years or more. By which time the whole market will have changed enormously. Within 10-15 years more or less will be needed. Double the passenger numbers over the next 30 years, that should be a minimum aim. Lots of small fleets with limited compatibility making operations increasingly difficult.
So we might have decades of this before a central nationalised railway has imposed enough standard, compatible rolling stock that can go anywhere built in house. But that can't work unless station platforms are made longer and junctions and tracks remodelled and we decide if we're going to electrify or not - and how.
I see continued chaos ahead, no matter who's in power.
