[Belmont Road]

There has been a long discussion on another forum on this issue. It generated an excellent and well informed response.

Beware of simple solutions. SNCF are in big trouble. They have proved to many experts that a nationalised railway is incapable of penetrating the logistics market for freight movement.

The railway can no longer deliver the complete door to door product, that is done worldwide by logistics companies, not state owned institutions.

These private sector companies prefer to work with their own recources and with their own kind -that is why Tesco goods on rail are moved by Eddie Stobart. There are many other examples all over the world.

Passenger trains can work with state ownership but SNCF for one, apart from the TGV's, is a poor quality operator on many other services.