The problem I have here though is that I don't consider road and air to be "competition" to the rails. They shouldn't be competing with each other. The idea that it's cheaper to fly to Cornwall is outrageous, it's obviously more expensive to build aircarft, train pilots, and then burn kerosene to get it airbourne, than it is to build a train, train the driver, and then burn diesel or hook it up to the electrcity grid.

The whole point of trains is to get cars off the road, get people moving without using as much fuel. If it's cheaper to drive than it is to go by rail, then it is utterly failing.