Originally Posted by
BAHumbug
Forgive me, but that's a little like saying Mercedes have competition because Tata make cars too...
I was thinking in more general terms, however. If you go to your local train station you have no choice about the service you use to get to a particular destination - in my case it's First Great Western or nothing. So it is, in effect, a monopoly - and one that is not really regulated properly, just subjected to a lot of pious handwringing.
What I would love to see is a little more direct action - perhaps a day when every single commuter refused to pay their fare. Or perhaps a day when every single commuter stayed at home and refused to use the trains. We could certainly take heed of the French in such cases - they'd be rioting by now...
BAH
I wasn't speaking of all trains in the UK in general, only the LHR to central London route, which has three options of which I am aware.
True, the Piccadilly is no HEX, but I still think they compete, because they offer choice. People (like me) who refuse to pay the high prices, and are willing to accept slightly less than ideal conditions for a short time (has never bothered me by the way), take the Piccadilly. People who value the air-conditioning and whatever else enough to justify paying monumental prices, take the HEX. Choice. Competition. At least as far as I see it...
I would pay more for a Mercedes because I value the greater comfort and performance in the long-term, compared to cheaper alternative but with less features, bells and whistles. Not the same with (short range) public transport, when all I want is cheapness and as direct a routing as possible.