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Post by lysander on Jul 20, 2013 8:46:20 GMT
I am a little confused. I remember Virgin claiming they had bought the Pendolinos for use on the WCML. Now I see that HMG has approved the purchase of a whole tranche of new coaches for the ECML...Does this mean that the taxpayer is buying them and hiring them out to whoever wins the next franchise or has HMG just given approval for one of the train leasing companies to buy them to lease out or is there something I have missed. Does anyone know?
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Post by tofskilemons on Jul 20, 2013 14:37:51 GMT
The Pendos are leased - like most units are on the network are. Virgin don't 'own' them, hence why they would be included with the West Coast franchise. These things will be purchased, built and then a leasing company will in effect buy them off the DFT/taxpayer. Then they will be leased to the franchise holder. (I think. this is what happens now anyway)
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Post by lysander on Jul 21, 2013 7:50:29 GMT
Thanks for that...So, in a nutshell, we buy them outright, sell them ( at a profit?) to a private organisation which then leases them onto an operating company. Presumably, all of this is intended to create profit for the private sector...No wonder the rail subsidy is greater, in real terms, than it ever was under British Rail!
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