Second class

If only the same could be said about train travel on this island. This follows the revelation that East Coast, the only operator run by the Department for Transport, had the worst punctuality record in the whole country last month.

As well as undermining the argument that the railway industry should be re-nationalised, it also, at this critical juncture, undermines the efforts of tourism bosses to persuade visitors to come to Yorkshire by train.

In short, it is simply not good enough that more than one in 10 trains is late on the line between London, Yorkshire and Scotland. Of course, East Coast will point to mitigating factors. There are also welcome plans to upgrade the track near Doncaster so more passenger services can run at peak times, though it remains to be seen whether this will

survive the Government's spending cuts.

Yet it still begs this question: if other countries can run high-speed trains on time, why is this not possible in Britain?

It is a question that pre-dates the recession, and it will inevitably outlast this spending squeeze unless radical steps are taken now to improve the efficiency of existing services.