Privatised industry funding unique

摘要

In its long-term regulatory statement (above), ORR notes that the railway industry's use of mixed private and public funding is 'more complex than most sectors'. Revenues are much lower than costs, with direct public funding representing around one-third of the industry's income. This imposes a large ongoing cost on taxpayers which funds the level and quality of service, finances investment in infrastructure and subsidises some fares. As a result, over the last decade the rail industry has been missing the commercial relationships and drivers which are present in most other regulated utilities and other consumer transport sectors. In addition, the railways have been prone to detailed decision-making and intervention by government and also susceptible to prescriptive regulation from both ORR and DfT. This has led to much of the industry being subject to 'bureaucratic rather than commercial management and decision-making', says ORR.