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Make it happen.

Alexander Cruisey, Brighton   + Share

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  • Proof shows that going private equals making huge profits and rips off people and pays people badly.

    Pete Southerill, Bury St Edmunds
  • The sheer disaster of privatisation is all too clear in the disgraceful state of our railways.

    Chris Holloway
  • Railways are a public service and, as such, should be publicly owned.

    Leigh Stenson, Stockton-on-Tees
  • We might end up with a service that is on time and actually runs, not one that is consistently late, packed all the time and with engineering works all the time.

    David Harrison, Northampton
  • I worked on the railway for nearly 20 years and it was much better as British Rail than as a private company.

    Kathleen Webb, Glasgow

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Bring Back British Rail

4 weeks ago

Bring Back British Rail

The Scottish Government has until 10 January 2021 to decide whether to continue to bail out Dutch state-owned company Abellio or #MakeScotRailPublic now! 🚆 Support the campaign 👇 ...

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Public Ownership of Scotland’s Railway

you.38degrees.org.uk

Public transport is an essential public service. It facilitates the smooth running of our local and national economies, it helps cut the carbon emissions caused by car travel, and it enables everyone to participate in our society – to visit friends and family, to attend appointments, events or go ...
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When Jimmy Krankie gets you independence you can pay for it yourselves

I thought the Scottish parliament didn´t have the legal right to nationalise companies.

Its a no brained.

with its record on island Ferries don't hold your breath...

Are you really sure you want to be doing that? The snp screw up everything they touch. Just look at their attempt at building ferries. One afloat and rusting away with painted on windows, the other just a pile of scrap on a slipway, and the bill sitting at 300% of the original build cost.

Where would the money come from?

Anything that hurts Abellio is fine with me.

Not just the rail...make the whole of Scotland a separate country in its own right. Different currency, their own defence, their own GDP and let's see if they can afford to join NATO!

Scotland is probably going to NEED to own its rail network come independence, so...

Signed. 😁

Public-Private Partnerships ALWAYS swindle the people.

If you think the railways are shit now, you didn't live in the 1970s. In fact you have no concept of Shit Rail at all if you think handing over the railways to the unions is a good idea.

Other countries have successful transport networks that are owned by the state. Britain's privatised rail network has not been a success and Railtrack was a disaster so despite the shortcomings of the previous British Rail, a new publicly owned railway for Britain is the way forward so let Scotland lead by example. Rail subsidies doubled overnight with Major's fragmented rail scheme and fares have gone sky high.

Seeing as the idiot SNP thought awarding the contract made sense. It’s unlikely they will do anything sensible now

www.redbubble.com/i/mask/British-Rail-by-Zaibo/55745887.9G0D8?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campai...

They are not bailing Abellio out, now they are just bailing the railway out,stand by for 1970s service frequencies, the cuts have already started.

Hello , is there a personn who can find a railway cap of Scotrail for my collection /museum .Look at my website :http://www.coiffesferroviaires.net/index.html

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Bring Back British Rail

4 weeks ago

Bring Back British Rail

The Scottish Government has just 24 days left to decide whether to continue to bail out Dutch state-owned company Abellio or #MakeScotRailPublic now! 🚆 Support the campaign 👉 you.38degrees.org.uk/p/publicrailwayscotlandCoalition of organisations and MSPs call for public ownership of Scotland’s railway from January 2021

A coalition of organisations and MSPs have today joined together to write to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to call for the Scottish Government to take Scotland’s rail passenger services into public ownership from January 2021, when the Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper Covid Emergency Measures Agreements expire in just 24 days time.

The letter is signed by 14 organisations representing Scotland’s rail workers, passengers, disabled people, pensioners, environmentalists, civil society and 20 cross-party MSPs.

The signatories highlight that the Covid-19 pandemic has created ‘substantial and unprecedented challenges’ for Scotland’s railway, and that the Scottish Government has provided significant funding for the operators during this period. Yet, despite this support from the Scottish taxpayer, the private operators Abellio Scotrail and Serco Caledonian Sleeper ‘still stand to profit from Scotland’s railway through being paid a fee for operating services’.

The letter therefore goes on to say:

“Appointing a public operator in the New Year would provide greater stability and resilience for Scotland’s railways. It would also end profiteering and provide greater value for money for taxpayers and passengers by ensuring all funds are reinvested into creating an improved and more affordable railway that can play a greater role in connecting communities and reducing carbon emissions.”
...

The Scottish Government has just 24 days left to decide whether to continue to bail out Dutch state-owned company Abellio or #MakeScotRailPublic now! 🚆 Support the campaign 👉 you.38degrees.org.uk/p/publicrailwayscotland
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If its infrastructure it should be owned and ran by the country, not by a foreign company being backed by foreign governments like EDF.

Must confess I really don't think it would make much difference at present. Now, if Scotland actually had a reasonably progressive government that was actually acting on things like climate change, rather than paying lip service to them, it would be a different matter.

State-run with private investment is best. And a properly-managed, fully-integrated public transport system, which other countries have, would be superb.

Why should we bail them out !

Go Scotland and set an example for the rest of Britain.

they'll get bailed out course they will and just go bust later down the line but i bet the executives all get a massive bonus/pay out when it does and thats that

The covid pandemic has in the UK ended the franchies system early it was faling to attract bidders becouse many of the easey qnd quick ways private companys would strip out a proffit from a railway have been done many franchise face stagnent or sturated passangers numbers so no proffet through a regulated fair box or increasing usage which would requir big investment ........ So the new world will and should see the tax payer through regonal goverments pay managment companys a set fee +performance some may decide to take direct controle in europe the open/private opperators are on longer contracts but with the local taxpayer haveing strong powers and set breakes or reviews of contract One lesson for scotland would be to own or own the lease on the rolling stock this has given many city and local powers in germany the upper hand in controlling contracts ......

Yaay!

Quite

It should work like it was in the BR Sectorisation era.

Nicola will keep bailing out the dutch, she needs to suck up to the europeans ,so dont get your hopes up

www.redbubble.com/i/mask/British-Rail-by-Zaibo/55745887.9G0D8?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campai...

It's a Dutch state owned company let the the Dutch government sort it out, If they don't they lose their operating franchise and goes back into Scottish public ownership at no cost.

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Bring Back British Rail

1 month ago

Bring Back British Rail

Our Merch store is now back up and running! 📨📨 Order by 12noon on Friday 18th December to receive in time for Christmas 2020 bringbackbritishrail.org/support ...

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Bring Back British Rail

1 month ago

Bring Back British Rail

Good riddance to Britain's franchised railway system, but what comes next? ...

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Good riddance to Britain's franchised railway system | Jonn Elledge

www.theguardian.com

The pandemic has finished off an unsustainable system and replaced it with de facto nationalisation. What comes next, asks Jonn Elledge, former assistant editor of the New Statesman
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Dread to think unaffordable with hs2 copsts though and still running lines around the north at 33MPH

The late Peter Parker made a good joke about privatisation at the time: "There is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are now only 20 people in the country who think rail privatisation is a good idea. The bad news is, it's the Cabinet."

Now we need to fire the grossly overpaid union-busting scum CEOs and board members of the privatised train companies, useless good-for-nothing human rubbish. It'll be good to see them scrambling for private school fees for their upwardly-mobile (in the past) sprogs.

Should supermarkets be nationalised

Agreed, but when, oh when can we say good riddance to The Guardian?

The only real nationalised service would be with a Democratic Socialist Labour Party

The Tories always bail out private companies when they fail overall due to societil reasons, they pump vast amounts of public money in for a few years and make them plump and fat, and sell them back cheap to the market.

What comes next? Under this government they will wait until its profitable again and franchise it back to their mates, obviously.

Glasgow to London = £100. London to Southern France including Eurotunnel =£80. Wtf?

Bloody Thatcher, ---- Should have left well alone .

How much money has been wasted over this time ??? Profiteering while the service got worse and worse - with franchisees- being repeatedly bailed out by successive governments ! Just think what that money would have given us if invested in upgrading railways! Same with every public utility asset sold off 🤬 Who keeps voting for the parasitical tories ??? Country will be completely destroyed after this term 🤬 All post war gains to improve lives fir everyone gone - brexit will be the final nail-in the coffin !

I always found the cheery talking toilets on those Virgin Trains slightly insulting too. Like "we've taken all your money for our shitty sewer smelling trains, now your not even allowed to have a crap in peace"

Bring Back British Rail 1950s style

Yes give it to your mates who ruin private service companies....you know it makes sense..... Full your boots in dividends. NOT!

Since the government likes to make a song and dance of its patriotic credentials, how about a new system with a suitably patriotic name, like say "British Railways"?

Should never had been franchised in the first place

Probably be given to Serco in one piece so they can overcharge and mishandle it like everything else!

But we were told it would be a big success. I wonder who told us that?

It'll just get even more monopolised privitised. British rail provided by g4s. Atleast there is currently a veneer of competition.

I heard that it's been offered to Dido Harding and a fellow Matt Hancock know from down his local pub, apparently they're gonna job share.

An unfranchised system, obviously...

Greed leads to a desert.

Passenger numbers didn’t start increasing at privatisation: they were already on the up following the reorganisation of BR into sectors (Inter-city, Network Southeast, Cross Country, etc). Moreover BR required far less subsidy than the private operators.

fir now but soon as this charade is over it'll go back into the hands of pirates and crooks and back to running 1 train an hour with one carriage on the liverpool warrington manchester line

and the left should now campaign for their permanent renationalisation.

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Bring Back British Rail

2 months ago

Bring Back British Rail

Merch store now re-open! 📢 We had to close in March during the first lockdown, but are pleased to announce we're now finally up-and-running again! Support the original passenger-led campaign for a publicly-owned railway 🚉 All proceeds fund Bring Back British Rail materials and activities 👉 bringbackbritishrail.org/support ...

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To help support the campaign: Sign the petition and contribute your views Campaign for public ownership in your local area Order the merchandise below or make a donation Support the work of one of our friends
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I'd buy a face mask with the logo on....

Um isn't the logo back to front? Asking for a friend...

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    Our Supporters

    • Privatisation of the railways has failed. Its time to make a virtue of public ownership, and the public service provided by state employees.

      Charles Secrett, The ACT! Alliance
    • Like most people in Britain, I think that a railway is a natural function of the state, and so ought to be run by the state – for the sake of coherence, transparency, continuity, accountability and national pride.

      Andrew Martin, writer
    • Only a publicly owned railway can deliver affordable fares, good services, high customer satisfaction, properly staffed stations and a profitable return to the public purse.

      Charles Secrett, The ACT! Alliance
    • There is no good excuse left for rail privatisation beyond enriching wealthy elites. Public ownership delivers for social and environmental needs over private profit.

      Professor Andrew Cumbers, University of Glasgow
    • At its heart privatisation in Britain was never about selling public networks but about selling the rights to tax those who are obliged to use them.

      James Meek, writer
    • Taking our railways back from private profiteers will mean better services, fairer rail fares and more than £1 billion a year in savings for the public purse.

      Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP
    • Let’s make the case for democratic social ownership, fit for the 21st century, ensuring our railways are run in the interests of passengers, not profiteers.

      Owen Jones, writer
    • East Coast shows us that publicly owned rail works better for passengers and taxpayers. We need a railway fit for the future – it’s got to be in public hands.

      Cat Hobbs, We Own It
    • To be able to reduce C02 emissions, by persuading people to leave cars at home, we need a fast, efficient subsidised railway system that’s run for people not profit!

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder
    • Something as important and necessary (and enjoyable) as train travel should be in the hands of the people, be affordable and safe, not making money for shareholders.

      Nina Power, writer
    • Privatisation is only progress, if you mean progressing towards an apocalypse of injustice. Bring back British Rail!

      Josie Long, comedian
    • The UK public wants a publicly owned railway, and so do we. Lush calls for an end to the failed experiment of privatising essential services.

      Tamsin Omond, Lush Campaigns
    • Privatisation has delivered… a system in which train operators and energy firms compete not on service – but on how many tariffs they can bamboozle customers with.

      Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian
    • Now is the moment to re-nationalise the railways and it has never been cheaper or more possible.

      Andrew Gilligan, journalist
    • Transport is an essential public service and ought to be publicly owned and publicly controlled. We need an enormous expansion in the investment in our railways and that is the best way of achieving it.

      Tony Benn, politician
    • A good public transport system should be the foundation of a fair, just, happy, low-carbon world.

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder
    • The privatisation of the railways was a scandal that created an unworkable and expensive structure which should be replaced with a national unified network.

      Christian Wolmar, transport commentator
    • Research into privatisation… boils down to one key finding: the only way Branson and the vast majority of train barons make their profits is through handouts from the taxpayer.

      Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian
    • In 1948 Labour nationalised rail to rebuild Britain after a world war. Today bankers and speculators use privatised trains for tax scams. Time to bring back British Rail.

      Alex Gordon, former RMT President
    • If the private companies that took over the national railways are cutting back and eroding services at a time when the climate crisis demands expanded low-carbon transportation alternatives to keep more of us out of planes, then these services too must be reclaimed.

      Naomi Klein, writer

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    Bring Back British Rail is coordinated from Glasgow by Ellie Harrison, with the help of a small network of volunteers around the UK.
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