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Stephen Pettitt, London

3rd February 2016 | Your Views

Public service, not private profit

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Your Views

  • Too many passengers are being ripped off by hikes in rail fares which are sometimes above inflation and outdated rolling stock being used and not enough investment made.

    Eirug Griffiths, Pontardawe

  • I agree John Major had no right to sell it off.

    Dorothy Chambers, Lincoln

  • Lets have all the train operating companies back under one umbrella, and that is British Rail’s umbrella.

    Dave McGough, Leeds

  • The current franchise system costs the tax payer much more in subsidy than British Railways ever did.

    John Haggar, Brighton & Hove

  • It is high time that something Great and British was restored.

    Joyce Stocks, Morpeth

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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago

We welcome West Midlands Railway being brought back into public ownership today 🥳 But, if control over these lines is devolved to the Mayor of the West Midlands in the future, there is nothing in the current #RailwaysBill to prevent re-privatisation 🚨 Heidi Alexander for Swindon South and Keir Mather MP must sort this! @top fans ... See MoreSee Less

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Bring Back British Rail
3 weeks ago

This week the Railways Bill, which will establish our new publicly-owned #GreatBritishRailways, enters Committee Stage at the UK Parliament 🚆 The fight is now on to ensure the Bill actually creates a fully-integrated railway that is run in the public interest ✊ Read more 👇 @top fans We Own It
bringbackbritishrail.org/2026/01/railways-bill-committee ... See MoreSee Less

This week the Railwa
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago

It's that time of year again... Fancy some Bring Back British Rail campaign merch? 🚉 Order by the end of Tuesday 16 Dec 2025 to receive in time for Christmas🎄👇
🛒 bringbackbritishrail.org/support
All proceeds help support our volunteer-run campaign 😊 ... See MoreSee Less

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Bring Back British Rail
3 months ago

We'll never get a simplified unified railway if private Open Access operators are allowed to continue running their own services & selling their own tickets🚆 The frustration of only being able to use specific tickets on specific trains will persist 😤 Heidi Alexander must #ScrapOpenAccess now! ... See MoreSee Less

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Bring Back British Rail
4 months ago

Today we celebrate Greater Anglia coming back into public ownership 🥳 We'll be keeping our Privatisation Departures Board updated as the next dates are announced:
⏱️ bringbackbritishrail.org/departures
But the real fight to make Great British Railways a success begins with the #RailwaysBill later this year 🚆 Watch this space We Own It @top fans ... See MoreSee Less

Today we celebrate G
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    We are the collective voice of disgruntled rail passengers and disheartened train employees, demanding a re-unified national rail network run for people not profit.

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    54,335 signatures

    Our Supporters

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

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

      Andrew Gilligan, journalist

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

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

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder

    • 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

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

      Josie Long, comedian

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

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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.
    The campaign operates as a ‘non-charitable campaigning body’ and so is free to carry out political activity and act as a pressure group.
    It aims to be a completely autonomous and transparent passenger-led organisation, which has no direct affiliation with any political parties.
    Accounts | Privacy Policy | Press & Media Enquiries: info@bringbackbritishrail.org

    Bring Back British Rail logo / identity designed by Fraser Muggeridge. Website by Neil Scott.