, Columnist
The U.K. Invented the Railway. Can It Finally Master It?
The government has a radical new rail plan that is both innovative and interventionist.
Improvements ahead.
Photographer: Oli Scarff/AFP
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Some problems fester for decades until a crisis makes them impossible to neglect any longer. In that respect, the pandemic may hold a silver lining for Britain’s troubled rail sector.
After years of bitter debate, it’s finally getting a major overhaul. There will be a new public organization focused on fixing the worst distortions of the past quarter-century of rail privatization while driving improvements and innovation.