Trains - How Important Are They?

Last night I nearly lost my love affair with our railway system as I missed a train back to Bridlington and was faced with the prospect of one and half hours on a cold platform at Driffield station before the next train. The waiting room was shut and I was a lone woman travelling with the only prospect of staying warm was to go to the bar till after 10 at night. I am not a timid person as my friends will testify but the choice of sitting on a lonely platform or sitting in a bar alone did not fill me with any joy! This did get me thinking about rural transport (or the lack of it) and the facilities it offers lone travellers late at night. So I will be watching with interest the Rail Review statement in the House of Commons today:

Ms Greening will make a statement outlining the government's new "rail command paper", which aims to cut billions of pounds from the cost of running Britain's railway network.
The move follows a review by former civil servant Sir Roy McNulty in 2011, which recommended that spending should be cut by a third.
Trade unions have expressed fears that the cuts will lead to fare rises and the loss of thousands of jobs.

Cutting billions from the rail network will mean that the limited services we do have will either be cut or become too expensive for passengers. Stations will rely on automated practices as staff are cut leaving vunerable people alone with a machine. Why are we promoting a Green Agenda while forcing people back into cars. In Europe they run a fast, efficient and cheap rail service so why cannot we do the same? Is it time to Nationalise the Railways for the benefit of all travellers?