Fiona Nelson, Berwick-upon-Tweed + ShareI would travel by train a lot more if the fares were more affordable.
Your Views
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Public transport should be a service, not a cash cow.
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The railways are farcical. Stop this fragmented system and bring back common sense.
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It is sad and disappointing to see our national rail companies exploit us rail users. Rail is the only possible means of transportation for those who do not drive.
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Yes, it definitely needs to be brought back.
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British Rail was far more cost-effective and fairer for commuters than the debacle of a system we have now.
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Bring Back British Rail
2 hours ago
On the day rail fares rise by 2.6%, please take 2 minutes to write to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to tell him:
๐ท Scrap the fare hikes.
๐ End the contract chaos.
๐ We need public ownership now! ...
Demand public ownership of our railway
weownit.org.uk
Passengers are being hit with a huge fare hikeShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Good luck, we're approx 100,000 billion miles off from having anything like a socialist left wing agenda anywhere near Number 10 with Kier Starmer being an absolute wet wipe. Great stuff. Can't wait to get back to commuting and spending 3/4 of my wages on rent and travel. FUN FUN FUN.
I joined BR (Southern Region) in 1970, Fare rises were an annual unwelcome event then, and the main reason was not to invest but to suppress demand so that investment became unnecessary, The Mandarins of Masham Street ruled fiercely then!
What a disgrace the railways have become, after scaring off 95% of regular users during the pandemic, they are now about to increase fares by 2.6%. They have risen by 40% in the last ten years, meanwhile, fuel duty on cars has been frozen for 12 years, is it any wonder we have clogged up roads.
Signed
What the point it’s private profit for shareholders customers don’t care
I'd love to sign but your computer won't accept my EU postcode. Pity cos I'm a UK citizen and have a continuing interest in UK affairs.
The current situation is totally unacceptable, it's time it was scrapped.
Signed and sent
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Bring Back British Rail
5 days ago
Privatisation costs more! ๐๐ท๐ธ For passengers and for tax-payers, so itโs no wonder it exacerbates poverty. Hear former UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston talking about his research into the human rights impacts of the UKโs deregulated bus system at Get Glasgow Movingโs public meeting tonight at 7pm ๐๐ ...
Public Transport: Privatisation & Poverty w/ special guest Philip Alston
www.eventbrite.co.uk
Register here for Get Glasgow Moving's Public Meeting & Annual General Meeting, w/ special guest Philip AlstonShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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What's the problem with saying Special Reporter? We are not in France ๐
The whole railway should be brought back into public ownership under British rail. Railways are supposed to be for the average people not the rich
www.facebook.com/199676720083396/posts/3951806331537064/ Cut costs with jobs so the greedy profiteers can make more money!!! I knew the tory scum wouldn't get rid of privatisation, too much money in their pals pockets at stake!!!
Yeah and they still plan to continue to freeze fuel duty for the private motorist in the next budget.
All this government efforts in trying to make rail privatisation work have proved to be unsuccessful yet they always seem to try again.
Privatisation was an EU directive so that they could buy into our industries. Now we are out we should be able to sort out what we have left.
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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
Now more than a year late, the recommendations of Keith Williamsโ Rail Review are due to be released this Thursday 25 February ๐ The Telegraph claims the Review will offer โfresh proposals designed to convince private train operators there are returns to be made.โ Why do we need to beg private companies to run our railways for us? It's time to put people before profit and #TakeBackOurTrains ...
Reforms aim to derail renationalisation fears
www.telegraph.co.uk
Fresh proposals will be set out this week, designed to convince private train operators there are returns to be madeShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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The telegraph would support any idea to keep our railways in the hands of racketeers even if it cost the taxpayers £billions. Profit before service.
Bring in the Fat Controller from Sodor ๐
Time to renationalise the railways so that we have a coherent service and investment of profits make sure that the north and west have decent trains and carriages.
The Torygraph proposing people before profit ! ? Typical oxymorronic crap spouting from these pages. Wot have they been payed to write this, we all know public services should never be put in the hands of Capitalists their remit is to bleed companies dry and throw away the husk.. The Torygraph should investigate the criminality of their masters in Westmonster.... Grrrrrrrr
Network rail has just undergone a reform under the guise of putting passengers first, it has been set up in a way pretty much the same as pre nationalisation with east coast and anglia put together like the eastern region now why would this be happening? Could they be looking at operator and maintainer all in one- if only I had crystal balls....
If giving British taxpayers money to French and German railways is right I'll eat my hat
Look at what just happened in Texas with a deregulated energy market. There simply isn’t any advantage to privatization. It’s a get rich scam.
They'll decide to get one of their mates as a "consultant" in and get past d lots and lots of money and still come up with the same old claptrap.
we get what we vote for
Private enterprise my arse, they have all been subsidised to the hilt by the taxpayer since day one.
Telegraph does not support the people!
There are only returns to be made when big fat subsidies are provided.
Private companies have created chaotic rail services
Bring back British Rail!
Like the utility companies should never of privatised the railways
I thought the companies contract when to 2026
I don't fear renationalisation. Daily Telegraph was run by Conrad Black.
I'm sure Matt Hancock's got a mate who used to own a hairdressers who's perfectly capable of handling a multibillion pound contract to run the railways ๐
The Tax Payer has been subsidising this while the profits still go to the share holders. Bring it back under National control.
Loads more taxpayers money down the pan, and we don't even own it!
I'm fearing another botched privatisation not nationalisation
Now, when was the last time I decided to try and persuade a tiger that I really wouldn't taste very nice?
Flogging a dead horse springs to mind.
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Bring Back British Rail
3 weeks ago
Today we celebrate the Transport for Wales Rail franchise being brought back into public ownership by the Welsh Government after 25 years of failed privatisation ๐โ Why don't The Scottish Government and the UK government learn from their example? Stop the bailouts to failing private companies ๐ท๐ธ It's time to #TakeBackOurTrains! ...
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I can answer that, easily... It's because the central government gets these things called "political financial donations" from people like Sir Richard Branson who own the companies that get the public transport franchises. And these "donations" are not officially linked to a contingency of "I give you this money, you give me an advantageous business opportunity" as that would be "bribery" which is a criminal act... So nobody openly say what the donations are for or why certain people get the government issued contracts, but we all know what's up!
FFS, dont let the SNP near the Scottish trains, every thing they go near ends up a disaster.
Debbie Jones one for Gwyn
Ciaran Watling xx
Shug Cumming Liam Tansey Craig Robertson
It's the Wales and Borders franchise. This highlights the undemocratic nature of the UK. Why should the Welsh Assembly have control over many services that run mostly through England, (Hereford to Manchester, Liverpool to Chester etc) who have no electoral means to influence rail policy, it was not acceptable for the situation to be reversed so why is this okay? Last year had Welsh MPs voting on England only legislation again, which is utterly corrupt. Time the UK broke up into it's 4 nations, or an English parliament led railway is set up.
They made a right bollocks of it though
All monopolies should be in public ownership because they only serve to exploit people when in private ownership. Necessity of services demands that the public sector run it for the public and serve everyone. Services include train, busses, gas, electric, water, post office and telecommunications.
Delighted that Wales has taken back control of the railways which serve us in the Welsh Borders as well.
Welsh government can’t organise a piss up in a brewery
Time they brought it all back in the public sector, the only people it benefits is the rich investors who care little for the public, what next, gas, electric, post office, the list is endless !!
When the ECML franchise was briefly back under public control things started to improve but the Tories have to see a profit being made and it has to go into a private pocket.
'Wales & Borders rail franchise taken into public ownership' Here's the Railway Gazette International's coverage www.railwaygazette.com/wales-and-borders-rail-franchise-taken-into-public-ownership/58456.article
8 years living in maesteg and working in Cardiff. Used arriva every single day. What a pile of crap that company was!
Mae hynny'n newyddion gwych... Dim mwy o breifatisation ConSelfServaTory
Great news, now get on with it for the rest of the UK.
The myth of competition in public services. We see it not only in transport, but in education and many other sectors. Unnecessary.
Economy of scale, one single management structure no shareholders
Well done Wales!
I’d like to see the Intercity Swallow livery back on all intercity trains in the country (including the sleepers) and bring back restaurant cars too.
Arriva we're really good though
Can't be any worse than the customer service under Arriva, eh Anthony AntDav? ๐
How does this work for trains covered by the franchise that run in England? I am fully behind nationalised railways, but wonder how the Welsh government can have authority over trains that run in England?
The private monopolies are excellent at extracting money from their customers whether it be trains,electricity or water etc but hopeless at running the services because they are just not interested at all
Too many politicians on their pay rollโน๏ธ
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Bring Back British Rail
4 weeks ago
Why has the deadline for terminating rail franchises been extended? Apparently, because the Department for Transport doesnโt want to have to take them back into public control! This is ridiculous, passengers want public ownership and now is the perfect opportunity to #TakeBackOurTrains ...
Franchise termination negotiations run on past deadline
www.railwaygazette.com
UK: Negotiations over the termination of passenger franchise contracts are proving difficult, with some payments yet to be agreed and direct awards still being discussed.Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Hardly surprising. The Treasury hasn't a clue how the railway operates. For a start the sort of savings they want are impossible to achieve. Running half the trains does not mean half the costs. The infrastructure is still there, you do have to pay staff like drivers when they are not actually in the cab, and it does not mean half the trains can be sold for scrap. The other problem is the Treasury are keeping all their so called data secret so the real experts cannot check it. The easy ones have come to an agreement, at least it was thought so. SWR reached a settlement, then it seems the settlement was not reached! The operators want to reform fares and rebuild train interiors to attract custom back. The commercially inept Treasury says no, instead they force operators to put fares up! Sure that will work, not!
We already own the railways, just don’t negotiate a new deal and let the franchise run its course, prepare for each one to finish, as it stands iirc they are already being directly helped out by the government anyway.
We’re cleaning up the colossal mess that was Ron Reagan, and you’re cleaning up the Margaret Thatcher debacle.
Amazing bad idea on so many levels. Its only take the government 6 months to empty the reailway and you are advocating putting them in charge .
Right now there shouldn't be passengers other than for essential work, two train crew that I know died within the last 7 days of Covid 19.
Because Tories are running the country ๐ Stupid question.
This is a SPAD!
publick owner ship means profit can be spent on the network insted making the rich richer
Conservative dogma.
Privatisation was the biggest cock up the tories made in the 90s
Yes but the 'public' also voted brexit!!
Public ownership will make little difference. The working practices that made BR reliable have all gone by the wayside whilst the industry's debt is astronomical. The real question is whether the country actually needs a national rail network.
Tory party ideology will always overcome common sense and practicality
If you missed a copy of Christian Wolmar's article in Rail 922, you should be able to get in online and it tells that although John Major's privatisation of British Rail promises more investment to the railways, it's proving to be more and more ineffective than ever considering the amount of time, effort and money that has already been spent. Yes, BR's passenger operations was split after the regions were abolished and created Inter City, NSE and Regional Railways but did it work ?
Sadly the armchair detectives think they know best by making up conspiracy theories about Covid 19 being faked
Time to flog it to your Etonian Tory donor chums maybe?
Tory bastards
Who would take ownership of a company which is haemorrhageing money due to lack of passengers? Let them take the losses, then pounce!
All the government do is mess up everything, ask the NHS, emergency services, armed forces etc6. If government run we'd be back to cuts all the time. The railway is goosed beyond recovery with out billions upon billions being spent.
Lazy useless clueless!
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