John Main, London + ShareIf privatisation is so successful why do they rely on subsidies to keep their shareholders happy?
Your Views
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Irene Coleman, LeedsI want East Coast Rail to stay in public hands and then the rest of the network to follow.
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James Speirs, PaisleyBring the rail network back to the public for the public. No more profiteering from our service.
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Kim Saunders, Southend-on-SeaRe-nationalise it for the people, put the profits back into paying decent wages and re-generation of the system, not lining the fat cats’ pockets.
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Stella Thomas, Hebden BridgeWe need all our public services to be nationalised. Let’s start with the railways.
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Ilija Jovanovic, DerbyWhat’s happened to the rail, as with everything, is a disgrace. Money before people. Bring back British Rail.
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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
Keith Williams' Rail Review is due to be published this autumn. Will it recommend we Bring Back British Rail? ...
UK rail industry reaches key political junction
Overcrowded trains, especially when strikes add to disruption, are a common complaint by those who must use British railroadsShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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i hope so.
Well we live in hope, I despair at the state of our railways since privatisation..........
And...Electric/Gas/Post Office/Pilot training for the RAF/Water/buses...in fact everything that has gone to private companies. However...we need proper and knowledgeable managers to run them...NOT POLITICIANS!
I WISH .....
The way we are going it will probably recommend bringing back rationing.
We already know it's not going to recommend renationalisation. It's just another Beeching report.
One finding will be the urgent need to replace ageing rolling stock with new kit we just don't have
Not a chance. They wouldn’t have commissioned it if there was even a chance of it.
NO it won't BUT we wish it would!!!!
I wonder what the average age of UK trains are
Sadly not.
Fares rising by as much as 2.8% while our railways suffer further in the hands of politics since John Major's White Paper was imposed.
Don't think it will bring British Rail back. Look more likely more money and more maintenance for many years. As long as the Tories stay in power, privatsation likely to continue.
No unfortunately âšī¸
Should do privatisation has failed well done Mr major even Maggie wouldn't touch it
Even if it did why on earth do you think they would listen. Post an example of where the right wing Conservative party have listened!
Just because an industry is nationalised does not mean that it has to be run by politicians.
It will if it's not 'stymied' by political interference!
No
No
No.
No. It will say what the Tory government told him to say.
Of course not. Williams is another ten-a-penny private business idiot consultant whose primary interest is financial... "how can I squeeze every drop of blood from this stone?".
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Bring Back British Rail
2 weeks ago
Two thirds of people in Scotland want ScotRail nationalised says a new YouGov poll. The Scottish Government were awarded powers for public ownership in the Scotland Act 2016. Why are they not using them? ...
Two thirds want state to take over ‘shambolic’ ScotRail
A significant majority of people in Scotland want to nationalise ScotRail, with persistent complaints of delays, cancellations and overcrowding, a poll for The Times has suggested. The YouGov...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Here is a bridge in Brum, an absolute disgrace - I remember in the days of BR these were superbly maintained. Ok it supposed to be back in 'our hands' being Network rail, but clearly not as good a set up as the BR days.
You need to think on a very high Political level here. Scotland wants independence and to remain in the EU. If Abellio are shafted by the Scottish Government, it is not only an attack on Dutch State Railway but also on the Dutch Government. If the Dutch Government get upset, they are in a powerful position to veto any attempt by Scotland to remain in the EU. The Scottish Government need to act carefully and with caution.
Just think of the cost of the Forth Bridge maintenance alone !! , or do they want to do it half measures only and still have Network Rail look after the infrastructure?
Shambolic has been used quite a bit in various subjects these days. But using it in the same sentence as "ScotRail" is no surprise.
Isn't it already owned by the Dutch government??
We should re nationalise all utilities!
Re nationalise without compensation!
That could be the problem
Give the SNP a break they are very busy at the moment taking advantage of the brexit situation for independence to worry about such mundane things as Scotrail.
If it is...That will upset the Scottish witch Sturgeon and independence drive! đ¤Ŗ
Only 2/3rds?
It has to pass The SNP policy test. Will it promote independence? Will it have a knock on effect to any other policy that promotes independence? Unless the answers are Yes then No then it won’t happen
Is that independent Scotland ,or do they want England to pay for it ?
Independence Rail ! Run by Nicola Crankie and the rest of her cabinet....
Aye cause it worked out perfectly fine when it was public owned before
Sam Hayward
Craig Hildersley
Why? Twice as many trains running now.
The SNP are fake Socialists Like Blair their promise to renationalise public services was a lie If it wasn't, like the poster said, why haven't they done it?
Same in Wales. But ''Welsh'' Labour are Thatcherites.
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3 weeks ago
More great detective work from our friends at the Association of British Commuters. Private train companies will do anything to protect their own interests... ...
Three consumer rights issues every rail passenger needs to know about - Association of British Commuters
Last week, we learned that the Rail Delivery Group failed to communicate changes to penalty fares legislation to train operating companies, leading to the overcharging of up to 10,000 passengers. The overcharging follows a similar scandal revealed in 2018, when the Rail Delivery Group failed to upda...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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1 month ago
End the Rail Rip-Off! protests are taking place at stations across Britain today against rail fare increases of 2.8% from January 2020. As the Department for Transport announce First Group are to take over the West Coast rail franchise from London to Glasgow from December, join us at 5pm at Glasgow Central Station for a Protest for public ownership of rail! đJust in: Passengers are to be hit by a 2.8% rail fare increase.
We've just been outside Kings Cross to say loud and clear that the public have had enough of the rip off. We need Keith Williams, head of the government's rail review to recommend public ownership now! ...
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www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/14/firstgroup-consortium-to-replace-virgin-on-west-coast-ma...
How can adding 2.8% too fares be fair. When Transport for Wales services are even worse than when Arriva Trains Wales ran the service with cancellations galore, dirty and in kept rolling stock.
Be good to see some collated benefits vs year on year fares increase "reasons given" for say the last 10 years. I also believe theres much jam tomorrow schpiel wheeled out by each subsequent "head of communications" of these money grabbing companies. Soon we will all be working just to a) keep the roof over our heads and b) paying to get to work to cover a). This country is going backwards. Cut cut cut in services (not just railways) but increase increase increase on prices.....
Keith should definitely be under public ownership. It’s clear Bring back steam, slam door carriages and strikes. The good old days
The other side of this is that the Government needs to explain why fuel duty has not risen in line with RPI for the last 7 years. This represents a significant subsidy to the motorists. And, indeed, does the Government have any strategic transport policy?
Railways are for public transport not for private profit.
benefits either frozen or up only by CPI, fares up by RPI. A national scandal
A video I took on Friday of last week This is not acceptable
As I am very unwell.
Is the chao called Beeching still around to help?
Who is Keith?
everybody should publicly own keith.
Sorry I couldn't make it yesterday.
đ¤Ŧ
Yes
Sam Hayward
Keith?
Utterly ridiculous, I'm from Rotherham South Yorkshire and a disabled manual wheelchair traveller here is what BBC ceefax say's in my area. Northern has admitted that some of it's heavily - criticised Pacer trains will be used in South Yorkshire next year, despite a pledge to remove them. The rail firm began rolling out it's new trains in June, saying it would take all Pacers out of use by 2020. It later said some of the trains - which no longer comply with disability access rules - would be around for longer. A spokesman confirmed " a small number would be used in South Yorkshire" So according to the head of the railway system has said, as he said after this year's ticket price hike, it will mean more public and private money generated from the price rise will be invested in better trains, less delays, less crowded trains and less cancellations, how come year on year ticket price increases have, from my experience, had little, if any, effect on all the above issues and further as a Northern Rail disabled user if Pacer trains no longer comply with disability access rules surely using Pacer trains where tickets and Passenger Assistance has been booked for a disabled person like me is breaking disability access rules and therefore disabled passengers should have a right to take Northern Rail to Court where their scheduled journey is on a Pacer train. I have booked, in advance, to travel from Rotherham Central to Sheffield this Friday and I have absolutely no doubt that it will be a Pacer train when I am at Rotherham Central and when I return from Sheffield to Rotherham Central I will upload pictures of the trains that turn up. This price hike like all the past price hikes has little to do with improving the trains and all the continuous over crowded, late and indeed cancelled trains more I firmly believe it is in the interests of shareholders.
you don't own nothing all sold off by the tories to foreign governments
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1 month ago
Today our new Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP cancelled the Southeastern rail franchise competition, which had been open to tenders since November 2017. What a waste of time and money. It's time to End the Farce of Franchising altogether and Bring Back British Rail! Join us at bringbackbritishrail.orgEND THE FARCE OF FRANCHISING
Print your own Bring Back British Rail placard!
bringbackbritishrail.org/materials/placard-black.pdf ...
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Read the story here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49262115
I worked for BR and saftey and time keeping along with customer care were paramount. Best of training, working conditions and a general rule that the service MUST work. This is a shite system now.
I cant see it. Would love it if we went back to excursions and reliefs and diversions with an end to the rail replacement bus but imagine the legal costs involved in paying off all the existing moneygrabbing shareholders.
All public services should be renationalised! Public transport, water, gas, electricity! đ¤
But it will never be the same. BR was all about safety safety and safety. Not PPM profits and money. Bringing back BR. Has to include standard raising instead of lower and lower. Job for the boy's and if you do anything for the money.
"It will also allow the government to ensure that the recommendations of the review being conducted by the former boss of British Airways, Keith Williams, in to the railways, are taken into account. Williams Review will be published in the autumn but he has previously told the BBC government involvement should be limited to overall policy and budget decisions, and the Department for Transport should not manage the system." Here we have another outsider, like Beeching was, telling us how the railways should be run.
End of the day those of us that worked under BR and who can be objective about the past openly admit it wasn't perfect. There were many areas that could gave been improved but generally it was a damned sight better overall than the shite were forced to work with now.
As Eric Morecambe said, i am playing the right notes but no necessarily in the right order. So it was with british rail they ran the trains but not necessarily when the table said. So the only difference is that now a private company makes a profit for the failures, so bring it back into public ownership.
There was such pride in working on the railways.
Football specials and BR sandwiches and Jimmy Saville? No thanks!
Southern Fail even got its charter renewed and the fares go even higher. No wonder they have separated themselves from inter-rail - Naples to Rome return for £20 which won't even get you the 60 odd miles to London ....
Every other (successful) railway in the world is just one big integrated company that does the whole lot. That's what we had with BR and by and large....it worked and it's only problem was that it was starved of investment by ideological politicians.
Not to mention the complexity of our rail network/ pricing almost certainly had a hand in shafting our participation in Interrail. Every other European rail network can apparently handle it, but we’re special (and not in a good way). FFS!
Grant Shapps-what on earth does he know about transport? Answers on a post card.
If renationalisation is illegal, as some here say, then how come the Scottish government have just nationalised the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow??
Currently travelling behind 60163 Tornado in original British Railways livery, en route from Edinburgh to Aberdeen :-)
I say yes to BRS
Absolutely, save a lot of money on legal/consultation nonsense to prevent the same franchise wheel with a few tinges of improvement or removing improvements of the past...
Franchises are a waste of time and money. May we see the return of NSE.
I hate rail privatisation, but who honestly believes anyone in this country could run a national rail network? We don't know how to build a nuclear power station (Hinckley Point) so we farmed it out to the French. Why not invite them (SNCF) to run the railway network? Or the Dutch, who already run parts of it. Or the Germans...and so on.
Be interesting to know whether this has anything to do with the pensions saga (see Stagecoach bid being thrown out). Cynic in me suspects DTp have something to hide.
All very nice but people want to wake up to the fact that this useless lump of rock in the north sea will never have another state owned rail system.
Nationalise industry and the banks...take 'em back from the cronies they were sold off to in various fire sales!
To be fair to Southeastern a little, atleast their not cutting and running like Stagecoach are especially on East Midlands trains where they've been running it into the ground before exiting.
Of course if we remain in the EU this site will be irrelevant
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