[drawfloat]

Appreciate that, but vast swathes of the North and rural areas will never be profitable. As a result, entire areas of the country have rolling stock that was supposed to be dropped in the 80s, a couple of services a day, or aren't even electrified.

The one that always stands out to me is the fact that the last train from Liverpool to Sheffield (two major cities) is at 9:30pm because it wasn't profitable to continue services after that time. As a result, flight delays from Liverpool Airport (again, a major airport) can leave you stranded in that city – or facing an eye watering taxi bill.

[beck5]

I completely agree, Northern trains are a disgrace.

I don't think it was a failure of private companies though, rather Network Rail failing to deliver. The government has speced electrification for decades like you say. The cost of eletricifcation has gone through the roof, mainly due to health and safety (good thing). We have also lost a lot of expertise in electrification, much like how we lost the skill to tunnel.