Tracks and trains must be run together. And it all needs money, money, money

There are almost as many views as there are experts. But after the debacle of Railtrack's collapse, a consensus is emerging on how to give Britain the railway it deserves

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Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Trains

The quick fix

We need to cut through the bureaucracy between Railtrack and other bodies that is holding up the introduction of new trains. The Government must open the coffers to enable the Strategic Rail Authority to get some projects under way. And we need stability in the industry. That means getting Railtrack out of administration quickly.

The long view

There need to be fewer, bigger franchises and more integration between the operator and the railway track itself. The railway of 2020 should look like that of the 1920s in management terms – five major operators with a coordinated track strategy. The difference would be trains running faster and with Japanese punctuality. We remain confident that by 2003 the West Coast Mainline will have become the model for this future.

Professor Stephen Glaister, the government adviser on transport and the public utilities, from Imperial College, London

The quick fix

They have got themselves into such a spectacular mess it's hard to know how to help. Putting together an alternative to Railtrack is a big job which will take substantial time.

If they want to attract private money, they're going to have to underwrite the debt in some form. Ministers must recognise that it's going to fall on the government's books at the end of the day.They must also give the system some short-term funding. They can't do what they've done with the Underground, where funding was cut and it's fallen apart.

The alternative is to give Railtrack to WestLB or another private bidder. That would have been the right thing to do from day one, and is the right thing now.

The long view

We now know that our railways are going to cost a lot more than the Government's 10-year plan allows. The problem is this: if the Treasury sticks to its commitment to spend £180 billion; and ministers are committed to 50 per cent increase in passengers and an 80 per cent increase in freight, it doesn't add up. The additional money can only come from the roads budget – and the fuel protesters have taught us that no government can increase taxes enough to prevent traffic growth.

In my view the plan for railways is not good value for money. As a whole, the rail programme is simply not being justified.

Nick Pigott, the editor of The Railway Magazine

The quick fix

The Government has to address the basic problem at the heart of Railtrack's workforce – morale. The system was already creaking under the strain. Since Hatfield, it's all gone down hill. What's been done now has exacerbated the situation. There's a feeling that it's all gone to pot, so why should we care? The trade unions are now starting to capitalise on this.

The long view

This is going to get worse before it gets better. In the long term Stephen Byers has got to restructure the industry again. I now think that vertical integration is the way ahead: the people running the trains should also be responsible for the track. Railtrack's too big. Perhaps running the railway as a series of local divisions might be the best way forward. I think I would break up Railtrack into its component parts geographically. But my feeling is one of despair at the moment.

Daphne Griffith, an education officer with the Church of England and a daily commuter from Diss, Norfolk, to central London

The quick fix

Better information would be a good start. Even if they tell you that the train is late, they don't always tell you why. Sometimes, of course, they don't know – they have no idea. Another of my big bugbears is the way passengers are treated in terms of space and comfort. It would be lovely to have more consideration of passengers' needs. They're just transporting us like logs of wood from a) to b).

The long view

I believe there's a serious problem about competition on some lines. On ours, for example, we have no alternative so the operators can do what they like. I would like to see much tougher regulation. We also need much more link up between trains and other forms of transport. It's all very well having trains to a place like Diss, but if you haven't got a car you're in trouble because there are often no buses and no cabs.

Anthony Smith, the director of the Rail Passengers Council

The quick fix

In the short term, the priority is getting performance sorted out. It can't wait for funding and it can't wait for investment. We have got to get additional resources for new staff, spare trains and many other improvements to the network. Without that you can forget everything else as confidence will just continue to melt down. The other key thing is to sort Railtrack out. We need a Marshall plan for the railways. We need to rebuild it and do so quickly.

The long view

In my view there's no rocket science to it. We need higher levels of investment, much higher than the European average, because we have been underspending for so long. We also need an industry structure that can deliver. We need more trains, longer trains and a programme of increasing capacity on the system.

Scott Handley, the chief executive of the Wensleydale Railway plc – a privately operated line which expects to run its first trains in the spring.

The quick fix

They need to start to value the people doing the job. I'm meeting people in all parts of the rail industry and morale is not good. From our own involvement, I would say it's going to be a long, hard slog.

The long view

We have got to have a completely fresh look at how we run our railways. There's no reason why the lines should all be controlled by one company, private or public. But all those taking part in it need to have confidence they are working as part of a settled system.