I quite agree. A proper function network is priority over preserved lines, painful as that may be.

With regards to political will, this is the drag. There is none to build railways in Britain and hasn't been for a long, long time. The recent 'green' pressure has converted a few more ministers to rail from road, but in the end, rails mean lots of public investment whereas road require and are easier to gain private investment. although even the roads in Britain are woefully inadequate and grossly underfunded.

Truth is, we have a government and political system in Britian ingrained with the traditional British capitalist ideal of selling cheap goods at cheap prices and scamp and cut every corner possible. Keynes was banging his head against a hard wall here alongside the other 'soft' capitalist economists.

Our Government at all levels is apron string tied to capitalist and business ideas and agendas and sadly unless it suits the majority of sections of industry or capital, further investments in rail links, new or renewed, I just cannot see to be forthcoming. IN fact your examples of the Crossrail and Thameslink are good ones of just how much pressure was required to get even hacked around minimal investment into new infrastructure off the ground - there just isn't the incentive there to do it and most business and politicians in Britain do not look further than next week.

True regarding the direct profits, but much of the profit generated are unseen and third party investments, which is why there sometimes gets generated bigger political will (they all smell the trough!)....