"Couldn’t agree more, Dave. The biggest mistake this country ever made was the destruction of the majority of the rail network. And we all know whose handiwork that was, don’t we?"

Not so straitforward. The rail industry was underfunded by all governments over the years. If you wanted to cut costs all governments cut the investment to nationalised industries.

People look back on the rail industry with false memories. It was underfunded for years, poor rolling stock, poor service.