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Opinion piece on Great British Railways

22nd July 2024 | Media Coverage / News

LBC Views

“Great British Railways should be the start of a new era for our country’s transport network, which everyone can get behind” – Ellie Harrison, Bring Back British Rail

Read our opinion piece about last week’s historic announcement on rail renationalisation for LBC Views.

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Your Views

  • It’s just common sense.

    Zoe Butler, Nether Edge

  • Way to go.

    Trevor Taylor, Philadelphia

  • They were good old days. Where I live you could get a train and go a long way on it.

    Lindsay McDowell, Leeds

  • I can barely afford to commute to work any more. The service is never on time and of appalling quality.

    Hannah Birkett

  • Keep up the fight.

    David Olivier,

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— bringbackbritishrail

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Bring Back British Rail
19 hours ago

We welcome Chiltern Railways being brought back into public ownership today 👏 That leaves only four rail franchises still in the private sector 🚆

⏰ Count down to their demise using our handy Privatisation Departures Board 👇
bringbackbritishrail.org/departures @top fans ...

We welcome Chiltern
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Bring Back British Rail and We Own It
2 weeks ago

The #RailwaysBill which will create our new Great British Railways is now being scrutinised by the UK House of Lords 🚆 Can they close the loopholes for re-privatisation & help deliver a fully-integrated railway? Please read & share the Association of British Commuters' excellent briefing 👇 @top fans ...

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Railways Bill Briefing 1: Ownership and Structure

abcommuters.com

The Railways Bill is supposed to be a tool for bringing the railway fully into public ownership and integrating its structure and finances. However, there is great uncertainty on both these counts,…
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago

Great to see Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree plans to take Merseyrail back into public ownership when the Serco/Transport UK contract ends in 2028 👏🚆 But there's still a big loophole in the #RailwaysBill meaning a future Mayor could easily re-privatise it 🤦‍♂️
Kim Johnson MP Maria Eagle Dan Carden Paula Barker MP @top fans ...

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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
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Bring Back British Rail and Association of British Commuters
2 months ago

🚨 Privatisation loopholes discovered in the Railways Bill 🚨 Last month, we thought we had a big win when the government amended the Bill to ensure that Great British Railways is fully publicly owned. But no one checked the small print… Read more from Emily Sullivan, co-founder of the Association of British Commuters in RAIL Magazine 👇 @top fans ...

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Drafting issues in the Railways Bill put public ownership at risk

www.railmagazine.com

Emily Sullivan explains why the new ‘wholly owned’ requirement for Great British Railways will not deliver the public ownership Parliament expects.
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Bring Back British Rail
3 months ago

📢 The 3rd Reading of the #RailwaysBill will now take place this 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝟭𝟬 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 🚆 Don't miss your chance to email your MP and ask them to back crucial amendments to ensure that our new publicly-owned Great British Railways always puts passengers' rights before private profit 👇 @top fans ...

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Railways Bill: Demand your MP protect passengers' rights and our environment

weownit.org.uk

The Railways Bill must protect passengers' rights and our environment
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Join the conversation using:
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— bringbackbritishrail

    Petition

    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.

    Sign the petition now and join 54394 other supporters.

    Bring Back British Rail

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    54,394 signatures

    Our Supporters

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

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

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder

    • 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

    • 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

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

      Josie Long, comedian

    • 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

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

      Andrew Gilligan, journalist

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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.