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Reconstructing british rail: In search of a profitable railway
Author(s) -
Lapsley Irvine
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
managerial and decision economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.288
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1099-1468
pISSN - 0143-6570
DOI - 10.1002/mde.4090050107
Subject(s) - monopoly , industrial organization , business , transport infrastructure , transport engineering , economics , microeconomics , engineering
The objective of a profitable British Rail might be achieved by a segregation of its operating services and its permanent way (infrastructure). In the absence of a system of road pricing, only the operating services have the potential to be profitable. A segregation of railway operating services and infrastructure is also supported by an examination of fundamental characteristics of all modes of transport. While operating services exhibit the characteristics of competitive markets, infrastructure tends to monopoly. The reconstruction of British Rail in this way would improve the provision of transport services, by allowing competitive market pressures to be exerted more fully.