From: nospam@example.net   
      
   On Thu, 21 Feb 2024, Scott Dorsey wrote:   
      
   > D   wrote:   
   >> True. I'm not a train aficionado so how does it work with all these   
   >> companies? After all, they all use the same track so how do they benefit   
   >> the consumer?   
   >   
   > If one is to believe Adam Smith, people will in the end pick the service   
   > which best suits them, whether that is the cheapest ticket, the train   
   > with the best alcoholic beverages, or the train that is most often on   
   > time.  In the end this results in the service that most pleases the most   
   > people, as other competitors begin to provide whatever it is that people   
   > want in order to match them.   
   >   
      
   Sounds to me like, as you say, they can only compete on "extras" or price.   
   Since they are all using the same track, I would expect punctuality to be   
   about the same for most of them unless on company bought crappy trains   
   from the start.   
      
   > Unfortunately what I want is not always what other people want, so I do   
   > not always find competition as effective as I might like.   
      
   This happens to me with TV-shows and small coffee shops run and owned by   
   individuals. I enjoy when the coffee shop owner sees me entering and asks   
   me "the usual". Sadly that shop closed. =(   
      
   >> When it comes to how delayed I don't have any statistics. This winter   
   >> though had some -40 C days in northern sweden that killed all traffic due   
   >> to safety concerns. You don't want to have a broken car or train anywhere   
   >> when it's -40 C.   
   >   
   > The only train I want to be on when it is -40 C is the train out of there,   
   > possibly the one going to the Riviera.   
      
   Agreed!   
      
   >> As for me, the best train service I ever had in sweden, was when I by   
   >> mistake ended up in the same train wagon as the ministers in the   
   >> government a decade ago. Everything was free, everyone was polite,   
   >> lightning quick service. I had no idea until I saw almost all government   
   >> ministers sitting around me.   
   >>   
   >> I have no idea how I made it in there and why no one said anything, but   
   >> such is life!   
   >   
   > I am impressed that your ministers would take the train in the first place.   
   > This is a sign of a government that eats its own dog food and I wish more   
   > did that.   
   > --scott   
      
   Well, I wouldn't be so quick to draw any conclusions from one trip. There   
   have been plenty of joy-riding in the government jet as well, but   
   _generally_ I've seen politicians from time to time ride on regular trains   
   and regular planes. Come to think of it, I sat behind a member of the   
   parliament once and she was talking with an old woman about democracy and   
   it was interesting to hear some insider stories. A colleague of mine once   
   sat next to the ex-minister of state (a socialist) and took great delight   
   in telling him how much he disagreed with him and how bad he thought he   
   did his job. The result was two grumpy men sitting in ice cold silence the   
   rest of the trip.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)