James Woodman + ShareAn integrated system with a common-user rolling stock pool is a must for an efficient railway system.
Your Views
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Paul Boulton, LowestoftI just think it’s time to show the Tories we have a voice and will be heard.
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Aaron Bliss, OxfordshireOne of the very worst privatisations. It makes no economic sense from either side of the political divide. Make public transport something to be proud of again.
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Pat Vinson, CheltenhamThere is no reason why a government-run rail system can’t be efficient.
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Patrick McGuiganLook no further than the East Coast line for an example, with profits going back into public coffers.
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Patricia Steeden, WatfordThe franchising and ticketing for privatised railways is ridiculous. Bring back British Rail which my father worked for many years.
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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
"Ministers are ready to seize control of the railways after more than a quarter of a century of private ownership" reports today's The Telegraph. Look out for Grant Shapps' announcement this week. It's time to stop the bailouts and #TakeBackOurTrains 🚉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trains ...
Franchises to be scrapped as lockdown rail costs rise
www.telegraph.co.uk
Grant Shapps is expected to make an announcement in days on a long-term solution to a troubled industryShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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somehow I am thinking this is too good tobe true. Usually the Tories only adopt the wording of Labour policies not the intent! e.g. community care sounds good so close all the special schools, etc. etc. but then don't fund the actual care in the community! So watch this space!
Privatisation of BR has been a costly failure. I remember when Stagecoach was awarded the franchise for South West Trains and what a laugh, they choose to make surplus to requirements of 70 train drivers, it caused so many cancellations of services and other problems.
I hope ministers don’t actually try to run the railways - with this bunch of incompetents that would lead to chaos.
More likely franchisees are queuing up to hand back their franchises. And with no franchise agreements there are no performance targets to hit, so why even try and get the things functional? Commuting, in election terms, is somewhere near the bottom of the list and we can tell this because the discussion is always about whether it will be an "above inflation fare increase" or a "below inflation fare increase". Quality and value really don't feature.
If a Tory is doing it, you can be sure it will be to further one of their principles: they're making hay out of it one way or other at public expense.
jesus. When are people going to learn? The Tories NEVER govern in the national interest. A quick look at who funds the party should tell you everything. I'd stake the house that when the final details are published this move will prove to be nothing more than a revised way of loading their mates' pockets.
Seeing this government makes a big thing of patriotism, how about a suitably patriotic name for the new setup, such as...er.... British Railways?
They have control. It's just funded differently and allows them to start to make the cutbacks. Read it and weep.
The ultimate Tory U-Turn! 41 years of social lies. economic lies, lies about socialism and lies about the lies, they really are a shower of shit, but I fear the damage elsewhere is already done!
Just wait till they start cutting duplicated services on routes where more than one operator compete against each other. I can see huge redundancies
who will they get to run it all? The "government" have sacked or redeployed to brexit roles all the civil servants that knew how to run a railway......
The story about the whole network in England being nationalized in all but name isn’t new - RAIL were talking about it in their 12-AUG-2020 edition. The DfT are getting fed up with carrying trains full of air, rather than people. Problem comes in that there will be loads of services and routes cut to make the whole thing pay, enough to making Beeching “look like an aperitif “. Be careful what you wish for in these crazy days.
That's the way to do it, when the money runs out, nationalise the railways. !947 revisited.
I wonder whether that will include Manchester Metrolink, the pilot scheme for railway privatisation
Only so they can sell them off again to get an injection of cash once this is over.
just another selservative con job, bailed out by the taxpayer, and sold off later to their mates.
Notice BBBR just linked to the report . No usful comment as is the normal . I suspect they see this as some kind of victory but this couldnt be further from their vision of a BR of 1985
Where’s the money coming from? Watch it be fare increases leading to lower demand, service cuts, less staff and more unemployment. Far better to scrap HS2 and admit demand isn’t there as the way things are going we won’t be travelling in vast numbers for a long while yet. Tories all about ruining the UK whilst watching their bank balance grow!
should never hav been privatised , nor the us industry
If so, does this not prove once and for all, that dogmatic privatisation and resultant fragmentation of what are "natural monopolies", will always ultimately fail.
Make British Rail Great Again?🤔
Let’s wait and see as this has been floated before But what about grand central an open access provider if the Tory graph is right
Fabulous news, let’s get back to running an integrated network that is ran for passengers not profit.
There has been a long term plan to bring the railways into public ownership. Then privatised it again, but this time, it will be the whole package which will include tracks, signals and stations. I read it 2 or 3 years ago when Chris Grayling was in charge.
Pay wall. Imagine having to pay for the privilege of knowing how the Tories are going to wreck us....again..... Apparently, only people with money are to be educated. #GTTO of all ilks
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Bring Back British Rail
3 weeks ago
Shocking to see FirstGroup awarded this massive bailout to run Great Western Railway. Why should we subsidise their profits until at least 26 June 2021? 💰💸 Grant Shapps & Rishi Sunak must #TakeBackOurTrains to save money and improve services in the long-term 👉 bringbackbritishrail.org/takebackourtrains ...
GWR Emergency Measures Agreement extended
www.railwaygazette.com
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I think the DoT have more pressing matters to deal with than taking over GWR. Must be considering nationalising BA, Easyjet and BAA at least.
My bum, she is sore. No more please, Tories, no more ...
Tory owned, tory bastards!
I do not agree with Nationalisation as a whole BUT national infrastructure, obviously including the railways, should not have been privatised. The railways should be bought into public ownership especially given the amount of taxpayers money given to them.
Similar situation on the - unnecessarily - new South Western Railways, and absolutely no policing of masks!
More bailouts for the ailing privatised rail structures ? It now reminds me of the 1970s when the car industry's British Leyland and Chrysler Europe was being bailed out too.
There useless, when other TOC's have been brought back in to government control, why should they be made a special case
It what i call the Tories looking after their own.
expropriate. No compensation. Why buy what you already own......
Brown envelopes all round?
Corruption.
It's hardly privately run if it needs bailouts. Ridiculous concept.
The tories will do anything to prevent it being re-nationialised, after all they created this mess in the first place back in 1997.
Its not a bail out as such, the government will pay the bills and take the revenue, Worst will get a small fee for managing thectrain services on the governments behalf, its effectively nationalised as are all the other franchises. If the Joris and his chums hadnt have stepped in the trains would have stopped running months ago.
need a unified system that talks to each other
Left wing whining about the Tories again.just like the moaning unions. If only that prick Corbyn would have won eh. We would all be ok then. And Dianne Abbott in charge of national security. The railway would have been shut months ago if the government hadn't stepped in
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
Private rail companies stand to make £500 million from coronavirus bailouts 💰💸 Today we joined our friends at RMT, We Own It & the Association of British Commuters in writing to every MP in the country to demand they act to bring railways back into public ownership now. Read our #TakeBackOurTrains letter 📝👉 bit.ly/3eNgshqResearch reveals that private rail companies stand to make £500 Million from Coronavirus bailouts while passengers and rail unions call for nationalisation.
bit.ly/32HvGSN
Britain’s private rail companies stand to make almost £500 million in profits over the next 12 months according to new research by rail union RMT, amid widespread speculation that the government is about to extend its Emergency Measures Agreements.
Analysis of ministerial answers to questions in Parliament indicate that the government’s Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) will see the government hand over around £231 million in operating profits to the train operating companies over a 12 month period. The train operating companies are currently lobbying the government to extend the agreements for a further 18 months. These same agreements also entail the government ‘picking up the tab’ in full for the lease charges that would be paid by the train operating companies to the rolling stock companies, the ‘ROSCOs’. Analysis of the ROSCOs’ accounts shows that in the last year, they made profits of £241 million. If the government renews the EMAs and continues to bail out the train operating companies, we could see around £500 million in desperately needed public funds leaking out of the railways into private profit.
Groups representing passengers and rail workers have written to MPs from across the political spectrum calling on them to demand proper scrutiny of any government decision on the EMAs and urging them to support nationalisation of the network to stop the scandalous profiteering at public expense. The letter, sent on behalf of rail unions and passenger groups, says that Britain needs a safe, affordable and accessible railway to support public transport and decarbonisation and that every penny of public money should be used to invest in a recovery plan that will get badly needed rail services back on track rather than leaking out into private profit.
RMT Senior Assistant General Secretary Mick Lynch said;
“We desperately need a properly funded rail network to play its crucial role in fighting climate change and to keep the lifeblood of our economy flowing. Now more than ever we need every penny of public money invested in building a safe, affordable, accessible railway, not leeched out of the system by a small group of big businesses with a consistent record of failure.”
Ellen Lees, campaigns officer at We Own It said:
“If the government continues to pursue bailouts of the rail industry, they'll once again be ignoring the reality that's staring them straight in the face. No matter how many times they try to prop up a failing system, the private rail companies will always come crawling back cap in hand for more cash.
“It's time we ended this farce. Instead of funnelling millions into the pockets of private companies, we should bring our railways into public hands – so they can work for people and the planet, not for private profit."
Emily Yates, Co-Founder of the Association of British Commuters said;
“Passenger trust is more important than ever, but it has been severely damaged by years of crisis on the railways. Public ownership is now the only way to restore this trust, and start building the integrated, efficient and accountable system we deserve.”
Ellie Harrison, Founder, Bring Back British Rail said;
“Privatised rail has never worked. 'Natural monopolies' like our railways need to be centrally co-ordinated and run for the public good. Now the coronavirus crisis has laid bare this simple truth. Public transport is an essential public service to get our key workers to their jobs. We must stop the bailouts to failing private rail companies, and seize this opportunity to 'take back our trains' for good.” ...
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Making a profit out of illness and death is just plain sick and uncaring greed. As usual, Profit before People, money matters, people don't. Tory mantra.
Parasites. 🤬
They are on their way to be renationalised. But keep the pressure on.
Is this Ellie Harrison the TV :Presenter?. Ask her how much better the Rail Service is from her local station in the Cotswolds to London since de-nationalisation.
RMT are too busy worrying about black lives matter and whining about tories to worry about the railway
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
If FirstGroup go under, they'll take Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express Trains, Great Western Railway and South Western Railway with them. Then Grant Shapps will have no choice but to #TakeBackOurTrains! Take action 👉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trains ...
FirstGroup derailed by collapse in passenger numbers, 8 Jul 2020 09:49 | Shares Magazine
www.sharesmagazine.co.uk
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Who remembers John Major and John MacGregor with those promises by telling us that rail privatisation will deliver vast improvements and fares will be lower? In fact, I remember it well and it never delivered anything.
I had the misfortune to work for the company in a senior leadership role a decade ago. It was hell on earth, everything was about the bottom line, Aberdeen micromanaging the day job and being obsessed with protecting the brand. Profit before people for sure.
Of all the bus groups which emerged from de-regulation in 1986, First Group have always seemed to be bottom of the pile, a situation which has been entirely of their own making. I saw their share price last week, they were trading at 35 pence!
Have to say seeing the back of First would be a source of great rejoicing. Unfortunately the consequences for bus/rail passengers will probably not be good.
Anyone who had the misfortune to live in North Manchester and be 'served' by First knows only.too well.how appalling their services were
Oh god I SOOO hope first go bust, they are the Britain's WORST EVER company. They recently lost the contract to provide most of the buses in Cornwall, I guess because they were totally incapable of being able to run the buses ontime and that's when they could be bothered to actually send one in the first place. Much less run an integrated transport system where by a train pulls up at a station and there is a bus waiting at the bus stop right outside. Often first would timetable the trains and buses so there was a 30-45 minute gap. Sheer incompetence would be a massive understatement when describing first group.
First Group has always been more focussed on its money-making ability than its commitment to its customers. The mess that it's in is of its own making and I have no sympathy for it whatsoever.
Avanti is the Italian state railway company, isn’t it?
they also run the buses in Leeds
When you see the state of the Armed Forces, NHS and anything else the government runs be very, very careful what you wish for.
And why will that be a good thing .
Worstgroup.
Ride acock horse to Banbury Cross..... Home again Home again Jigatyjig....
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
Over the last month, 20,000 passengers have written to Grant Shapps & Rishi Sunak to demand they end the bailouts to failing private rail companies and take steps to bring all franchises back into public ownership. Please help us keep the pressure up to #TakeBackOurTrains! Take action 👉 ...
Time to take back our trains
weownit.org.uk
Grant Shapps and Rishi Sunak have a decision to makeShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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What a pair to be making such an important decision. Schapps will botch it and Patel will insist it is only for white people!
L
No thanks I can’t afford it
As the reason the government wanted to privatise the railways was because they had to subsidise them, there really is no reason to leave them in private hands when they are still subsidising them. It’s a nonsense.
We help put money into foreign transport so they can get better cheaper travel. They are laughing at us. We need to take OUR COUNTRY BACK.
Privatised rail had failed by the 1930s and private companies were secretly begging governments to buy them off them - whilst demanding compensation for nationalisation of course. That's how railways came to be publicly owned in the first place !! And they got compensation for decades!!
Ironic isn't it- our railway companies part owned by the Dutch, French and German state railways.
It's all very well, to say this but aren't some franchises owned by state operators. Part of the irony, they're foreign ones. I should now, I live in the Abileo Greater Anglia area
And the buses! South Western Railway have failed to deliver on every promise they made when they got the franchise and are still rolling more than half their fleet in SWT livery! Their priority seems to lie in ticket collectors not counter staff and Friday afternoon's out of Basingrad are always a nightmare!
If the money that has been spent on all these private train operators , even by govenment subsidys .had been spent on the old british rail , we would of had the best system in the world . thank god Branson is no longer so called opperating any trains , or he would of gone to the government , cap in hand demanding a bailout
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME UK Government......Wake up n smell the roses The British need their railways n profits need to stay in the UK
What excuse can this SHAMBOLIC Government come up with now to not Take Back our Trains after all we are now out of Europe which they wanted , now Little Britain the Trains belong to us
Except HS2 thank you. We taxpayers do not want the responsibility for the catastrophic inevitable losses - neither the exorbitant cost of building this disaster NOR for subsidising and keeping it running because it will never, ever pay for itself. The latest report from the Infrastructure Authority has just downgraded HS2 from Amber-Red to Red. Go figure.
The TOC's own absolutely nothing, the whole shooting match is still 100% owned by the UK government. The whole 'privatisation' excercise was an excercise in smoke and mirrors to stay on the right side of eu competition rules.
As much as I would like to see it having worked for Network South East I think your find it will go to managed contract's.Then they will be squeezed every year to make cost savings & unfortunately the staff will be the largest cost. 😢
Make this simpler to support to much faff
Take back our trains, you mean the ones built by Germany?
All railways are owned by the government at the moment
Clearly most of the people on here don't remember how awful our nationalised rail service was. Since privatisation the number of services has trebled and the average age of the rolling stock has plummeted. Closed lines and stations have been reopened. People complain about high fares with one breath, and overcrowding with the next. Lower fares and increase the overcrowding
"Take back out trains" perfectly summarised by a platform with no trains.
Get rid off SWR. That railway operator is beyond a joke.
What back to the good old days stikes late arrival dirty carriages dried up sandwiches unhelpful guards
It is time to take back OUR BRITAIN. Seize the assets spuriously acquired by the crown, government and the elite fat cat society. Return the assets to the NATION for the benefit (right) of the GENERAL PUBLIC.
Good luck dealing with a bunch of toffs who hate the word public
Start with SWR ('owned' by GWR and MTR) as MTR is the Hong Kong Rapid Transit company. That'll excite the Chinese...
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