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[quote user="beaulieu"]I might add to my previous post that the former government didn't stop at separating the infrastructure from the operators, they then divided up the trackage into a significant number of sections and let bids for maintenance contracts, with the lowest bidder getting the contract. The Engineering Dept. was sold off and Railtrack had to contract back in their services. Indeed Railtrack was only allowed to retain a small number of track inspectors who were to function as auditors only. That proved to be way too few as at Hatfield a fast moving DMU derailed at a switch and slammed into the station platform. The cause was discovered to be missing bolts on an adjustment rod for the facing point lock at a switch. In other words the DMU picked the switch at nearly 90 mph. due to improper maintenance. Note that the contractor holding the contract for that section had reported excellent financial results for the previous year. The company was investigated and then fined heavily for serious failings in record keeping and employee qualifications, and  all their contracts were cancelled. Since then Railtrack has been replaced by Network Rail who has taken all Maintenance and Engineering functions back in House where they belong. [/quote] It seems then that the original separation went to far, making things more complex than it had to be.  OA should consist of two basic funtioning units - track owner and train operator(s).  It is fine if either basic unit wants to contract out certain services from time to time, but it should not be a requirement nor a standard practice. I also think the franchising rights aspect does not allow the OA model to function optimally.  Franchising sole rights to use certain sections of track may invoke the unintentional lazy bug for the franchisee, and thus repress the need for competitive innovation.  Come to think of it, the only advantage of franchising over US-style integrated operations is that if the franchisee does not please the online clients, they can reject them for a new franchisee when the contract is up for renewal.  Under US-style integrated operations, the online clients are stuck with the "take it or leave it" attitude forever (or until the IO tears out the tracks, whichever comes first[;)]). For OA to work as intended, it would be better for Britain and the rest of the EU if they reject the franchise model and instead go with the slot bidding model.  This allows multiple entities to compete head to head, and allows the free market aspects of competition to spark the fight for innovation and better customer service.  Of course, under free market oversight, the freight entities would be able to outbid the passenger entities, and that might be the one area where Europeans may feel enmity for OA.  Taking freight off the roads is probably less important for the average European voter than keeping the public passenger trains running as expected.  They consider the passenger train a God-given right the way Americans consider the automobile a God-given right, right?
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