If I ran a Train Company

Patrick Crozier has already outlined what he might do if he ran a railway company. Here's what I might do if I ran one:

• I would make my timetable robust, optimising for reliability and punctuality. This means I will not attempt to run any services that I didn't have the rolling stock, the staff and the track capacity to run reliably.
• When obtaining new rolling stock I will never entertain the idea of ordering large fleets of new trains of a totally untried design straight off the drawing board, with the whole lot due for delivery before the manufacturers have time to iron out the bugs in the design.
• When taking delivery of new trains I will not dispose of the old ones they replace until I am totally satisfied with the performance of the new trains. Even then I will keep some older trains in reserve in case of unforseen problems or sudden increases in traffic.
• I will paint my trains in a livery that cries "train", rather than try to pretend that my trains are buses or aircraft. I will also make every effort to keep them clean both inside and out.
• I will foster a pride, loyalty and 'can do' attitude amongst my staff. I particular I will listen to any new ideas any of them come up with rather than have a 'thats the way we've always done it' culture.
• I will consider radical new means of ticketing, such as smart cards for regular passengers that respond to transponders on the trains themselves. If these systems prove successful I will encourage their adoption thoughout the industry, especially for operators that share routes or provide connections with my own trains. However, if David Blunkett asks me to link these smart cards with his stupid national ID card I will tell him to bugger off in no uncertain terms!
• I will build partnerships with other business whose customers are also my passengers wherever both parties benefit from such an approach.
• I will have a positive attitude towards rail enthusiasts and the preservation movement.
• If a public body such as a local government is prepared to give me a subsidy for a service that would otherwise not be economic for me to operate I would take the money!