On 11 June Aditya Chakrabortty, the economics leader writer at The Guardian, launched a strongly-worded attack on the current system of franchising on the rail network. After describing Virgin Rail founder Richard Branson as a “carpetbagger” and a “subsidy junkie”, Chakrabortty observed that: “The only way Branson and the vast majority of train barons make their profits is through handouts from the taxpayer.
“By 2012, Virgin Trains enjoyed spanking new...
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