Railtrack as the Ultimate Failure of Privatisation The word Privatisation has been used in a variety of contexts, ranging from returning state owned companies to the private sector, contracting out services to the private sector and liberalisation and deregulation. Although the most common definition of Privatisation is the idea that involves transferring the production of goods and services from the public sector to the private sector. Privatisation generally involves two main objectives. Firstly there is the objective to reduce the role of the government in economic affairs and share ownership of the public. The other main objective is to make public organizations operate in a more cost effective manner, essentially the public asset is sold because it is felt that the private sector could more effectively provide that service. The main arguments for Privatisation are that historically, with communist countries, the state is not a good decider of how to distribute factors of production. The bureaucratic processes involved with decision making prevent efficiency gains which arise through the market mechanism. Since organisations have been freed from political interference, they are now able to focus more on long-term objectives without having to keep voters on their side. As well as this industrial relations and productivity should improve as companies recognise that they have no government funding to fall back onto. Another argument for privatisation is that the government wanted to create more competition, many state-owned companies were monopolies which exploited the public. Privatisation has introduced competition, ... ... middle of paper ... ...s (1986), British Airways (1987). Privatisation it seems only works well in industries with less regulation, which have the potential to work more efficiently with less interference. However some industries are regulated because they have the potential to exploit the customer, these industries would be more difficult and dangerous to privatise. Privatisation depends on the right set of internal and external factors to work successfully. Good management, workers, communication and motivation are essential as well as external factors such as the amount of help from the government to get it underway, the competition in the new private market, the customer response to the new system. Without these key factors to drive the process of privatisation, then it maybe unsuccessful, and this is simply what happened with Railtrack.
This essay will encounter The Long Island Rail Road first years making. The rail road was developed because the rail roads planners wanted to expand a way to get to Boston. In order for this view to happen, the service needed to make rail-road through Long Island, so they made the LIRR with the help of legislature supplying the money with 1,500,000$. This caused for New York or Brooklyn to be linked to Boston. Even though the money was good start for making the rail road, it was still very difficult to make so they to find ways to make it more efficient.
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad (B&O) was the first railroad to electrify part of its tracks, doing so in 1895 (Lecture Notes, 2/19/14). The electric locomotive was faster and cheaper than the steam locomotive, and produced no smoke (Lecture Notes, 2/19/14). This opened up the gates for electric locomotives to replace steam engines on their own tracks. Still, only a few American railroads electrified their lines between 1900 and 1950. Many American railroads failed to electrify their railroads due to the high initial cost and economic conditions, the lack of standardized electrical systems used for the railways, and corporate resistance (Bezilla, 42-47).
After America acquired the West, the need for efficient transportation heightened. Ideas circulated about a railroad that would spread across the continent from East to West. Republican congresses ruled for the federal funding of railroad construction, however, all actions were halted for a few years on account of a war. Following the American Civil War of 1861-1865, the race to build transcontinental railroad began in 1866. Lincoln approved Pacific Railway Act of 1862, granting two railroad companies the right to build the first American transcontinental railroad, (Clark 432).
2008, p. 144); in other words, the privatisation is a policy run and controlled by the government, this privatisation movement was based on human rights, control of prices and the regulations of the health services and social care in order to promote better outcomes and better standards of care.
The railroad industry is a mature market. The best option for growth is through mergers and acquisitions. By merging with Conrail, CSX would claim almost 70% of the Eastern market. By combining the rail networks CSX-Conrail would be able to offer long-haul routes between the Southern, Northeast, and Midwest ports. The combined entity would be able to consolidate overlapping operations which would reduce costs by an estimated $370 million by 2000. The cost savings would also be passed onto customers using the shorter routes between the Midwest and the South. By offering more competitive pricing an additional $180 million in operating income is expected through revenue increases. Part of this additional revenue is expected to be taken from Norfolk Southern.
In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, and tasked them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from east to west. Over the next seven years, the two companies would race toward each other from Sacramento, California on the one side and Omaha, Nebraska on the other, struggling against great risks before they met at Promontory, Utah, on May 10,
The Underground Railroad despite occurring centuries ago continues to be an “enduring and popular thread in the fabric of America’s national historical memory” as Bright puts it. Throughout history, thousands of slaves managed to escape the clutches of slavery by using a system meant to liberate. In Colson Whitehead’s novel, The Underground Railroad, he manages to blend slave narrative and history creating a book that goes beyond literary or historical fiction. Whitehead based his book off a question, “what if the Underground Railroad was a real railroad?” The story follows two runaway slaves, Cora and Caesar, who are pursued by the relentless slave catcher Ridgeway. Their journey on the railroad takes them to new and unfamiliar locations,
Municipal control or an alternative delivery method? This is the question that has intrigued all levels of local government and created intense debates between taxpayers across municipalities. The services that municipalities provide are often vital to the existence of a local area. The issues of accountability, cost savings, quality of service and democracy often arise when choosing the best options to deliver services to a municipal area. In recent years the concepts of privatization, alternative service delivery and public-private partnerships are often promoted as ways cut down on overburdened annual city budgets and promote a higher quality of service to citizens. Municipalities have historically always provided basic services such as fire protection, water purification/treatment and recreational facilities. However, would private companies or another municipality be able to better deliver the same services more efficiently or at a lower cost? The city or town often provides a political grass roots approach to most local problems. Municipalities are better positioned and have a wider scope to provide services to their constituents in order to ensure quality of service that does not erode accountability and transparency, or drive the municipality deeper into debt.
In the essay the “train switch dilemma” a single train car is rushing toward a group of five unknowing workers who cannot hear the train approaching. Another train worker (Alex) who is working at his summer job sees the train headed for the five workers but notices a rail switch which if pulled will divert the train to a different track, however if the rail switch lever is pulled it will kill the lone person working there. The rail switch presents the following moral dilemma: do nothing and five people die, or flip the switch and one person dies. In this essay, I will show why Alex should not pull the rail switch lever; that by doing so would be morally wrong. Making a choice that results in the intentional killing of one person is not the
Privatization of governmental functions has a direct relationship with the number of contract employees in government and an inverse relationship with the number of civil servants. As privatization has become more acceptable, contract employees are being hired to do the jobs, thus, replacing civil servants.
Starting in the 1850s, there were great increases in urbanization. Movements such as The Great Migration lead to huge populations in newly industrialized cities. In addition, there was a great increase in immigration, especially from families of eastern and southern European descent. The Orphan Train Movement’s purpose was to give the thousands of children in New York City that were left without homes due to increased urbanization and industrialization a new family out west with good living conditions and values and to increase the number of farm workers. The children mostly were placed with good families, but some children were treated as slaved by their families. Additionally, most of the children were excited to work; however, some were inept at doing farm work and were more detrimental than helpful to their new family.
Orphan trains and Carlisle and the ways people from the past undermined the minorities and children of America. The film "The orphan Trains" tells us the story of children who were taken from the streets of New York City and put on trains to rural America. A traffic in immigrant children were developed and droves of them teamed the streets of New York (A People's History of the United States 1492-present, 260). The streets of NYC were dirty, overcrowded, and dangerous. Just as street gangs had female auxiliaries, they also had farm leagues for children (These are the Good Old Days, 19). During the time of the late 1800's and early 1900's many people were trying to help children. Progressive reformers, often called "child saver," attempted to curb exploitation of children (The American Promise, 834). One of the people who was obsessed with the plight of children was a man named Charles Brace. He created the NY "Children's Aid Society". This was a program that was best known for "Orphan Trains". In 1853, Brace founded this society to arrange trips, raise the money, and obtain legal permission needed for relocation (the Orphan trains, 1). The reaction to the orphan trains were both positive and negative.
Cuts in essential services. If a government-owned company providing an essential service (such as the water supply) to all citizens is privatized, its new owner(s) could lead to the abandoning of the social obligation to those who are less able to pay, or to regions where this service is unprofitable.
The Singapore and Malaysia high-speed rail line is also known as the Penang - Singapore High Speed Rail. It was approved by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib on September 2010. The rail line aims to connect Penang, Kuala Lumpur Johor Bahru and Singapore together. The entire distance will be about 400km in total and it will take roughly 90 minutes to travel from one end to the other. The total cost of the construction is about 40 billion Malaysian Ringgit, equating to roughly 7.3 billion pounds.
Rail transportation is a transportation in which for movement of people and goods which from one location to another destination. Rail had been takes the important role in physical and economic development of town and cities in a country and it was developed over the world. Rail transport can be made a property value in a country increase and it must be needs improvement in transportation network expanding (Goldberg, 1970). Thus, the railway services need to be done with continuous improvement and it is important to the rail passengers of the range and quality of facilities and service on stations and trains (Gleave, S. D., 2000). The future development to a public transportation is a key to affect