Only the third point isn’t valid still, and to be honest I’m not sure it was valid 17 years ago either. There are many complaints I have about the British rail system, but I’ve never had a problem booking tickets that cover multiple operating companies.
- very expensive
- not enough space, and too small rack areas for luggages
- booking that crossed over several private train companies was complicated and unreliable
The experience was much better in France.
But as I said, it could have changed a lot.