Why we need publicly-owned railways to address the climate emergency
3rd December 2019 | Evidence
Below is an extract from A Radical Transport Response to the Climate Emergency – the excellent new report by our friends at Transport for Quality of Life, which explains why taking our railways back into public ownership is an urgent climate issue.
It is worth explaining why we believe that changing the structure of the railway so that it is a single entity operating under public control is necessary in the context of a climate emergency, as the very live debate about the structure of the railways has not been framed in the context of action on climate change. There are four reasons why we believe that the current poor governance of the railway is a climate issue.
First, under the present system, Network Rail receives bids for train paths from train operators and has to try its best to fit them together. This is rather like trying to form a coherent picture from random pieces of different jigsaw puzzles. Network Rail has no power to design the most operationally-efficient timetable, or to create the most attractive offer to travellers. Were it to try to do this, it might receive legal challenges about access rights from the train operating companies or the Office of Rail and Road. Exacerbating this, the specification for each franchise is made in isolation and with little or no consultation with Network Rail, precluding a system-wide approach to timetabling. This means that it is next-to-impossible under the current structure of the railways to create a Swiss-style integrated clock-face timetable, which is essential as part of a universal, comprehensive public transport network.
Second, under the current structure of the railways, ticket purchase for anything but a straightforward journey with a single train operating company is excessively complex, and this, together with the high cost of rail travel, deters many people from travelling by train.
Third, fragmentation of the railway between multiple competing train operating companies means that when things go wrong, the passenger is often stuck in the middle: trains are not held to meet delayed services run by other operators (even if the delay is of a few minutes), and a ticket for one operator’s trains may not be accepted by another. Again, this means that people feel that they cannot trust public transport, and so they travel by car.
Finally, there is no objective for the railway to be run in a way that reduces carbon emissions – and nor can there be, because ‘the railway’, as a single entity, does not exist. These problems are structural, and it is only by changing the structure of the railway so that it is a single entity operating under public control, in the public interest, and with an objective to act in such a way as to reduce carbon emissions from transport to the greatest extent possible, that they can be resolved.
Transport for Quality of Life has carried out research in this area and is of the view that public ownership is necessary to achieve this. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have not carried out research in this area so do not have a position on public ownership, but do believe that the structure of the railway needs to change to be managed as a single entity and under public control.
Extract from A Radical Transport Response to the Climate Emergency (p.14) by Lynn Sloman and Lisa Hopkinson, Transport for Quality of Life
People’s Public Transport Policy
5th June 2019 | Evidence
This great new report on the Public Ownership of Public Transport by our friends at We Own It is the first chapter in a six part People’s Public Transport Policy being developed by the International Transport Workers’ Federation.
A Public Future for Scotland’s Railways
28th November 2017 | Evidence
As part of the campaign for the Public Ownership of Scotland’s Railway, this report by our friends at Common Weal & TSSA highlights the failures of ScotRail’s private train operator Abellio and the opportunities for passengers for taking it back into public ownership.
A Better Railway for Britain: A Report by Bring Back British Rail
1st October 2016 | Evidence
Bring Back British Rail’s first report A Better Railway for Britain: Re-unifying our railways under public ownership was launched in the Houses of Parliament in London on 13 October 2016.
Print copies are available to order in advance for just £5 (including free delivery in the UK), with all proceeds supporting campaign materials and activities.
The Four Big Myths of Rail Privatisation
1st June 2015 | Evidence / News
Read this report from our friends at Action for Rail! It’s all the evidence you need that rail privatisation has failed to deliver what they promised it would in the ’90s:
• reduction in government subsidies (we now subsidise rail by nearly three times more than we did as British Rail)
• cheaper tickets (rail fares have risen by 24% in real terms since privatisation)
• innovation and investment (90% of the investment in the railways has come from public money)
Rail Privatisation: A Timeline of Failures
1st April 2015 | Evidence / News
A special edited and updated version of Rail Privatisation: A Timeline of Failures (below) – based on the design of British Rail’s 1979 ‘Go Direct by Inter-City‘ poster – features in A Better Railway for Britain: Bring Back British Rail’s first report, launched in October 2016.
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Today marks 21 years since the enactment of the Railways Act (1993), on 1 April 1994, which unleashed rail privatisation on the poor unfortunate public. Since then, Britain’s privatised railways have been beset by a series of failures, scandals and fatal crashes, each at great expense to taxpayers.
19 September 1997 – A collision between two trains at Southall kills seven people and injures 139. A passenger train running at high speed with defective Automatic Warning System equipment, a fundamentally important safety system, passed a signal at ‘danger’ and collided with a freight train crossing its path. Great Western Trains was fined £1.5 million for violations of health and safety law relating to this accident.
1 December 1998 – A report by the National Audit Office into the flotation of the national railway infrastructure company, Railtrack, found that taxpayers lost £1.5 billion because of the government’s decision to ignore the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation to sell its shares in stages, opting instead to sell them all at once.
5 October 1999 – A near head-on collision between two passenger trains at Ladbroke Grove, outside London Paddington station, kills 31 people and injures more than 52. A signal with a bad safety record was passed at ‘danger’. A poor standard of driver training by Thames Trains was cited as a major contributory factor.
17 October 2000 – A train running at high speed derails at Hatfield when a rail affected by rolling contact fatigue fractures under its wheels. Four passengers were killed and 70 were injured. The crash exposed the major stewardship shortcomings of the privatised Railtrack plc and the failings of the regulatory oversight of the company (principally, failure to ensure that it had a good knowledge of the condition of its assets) which ultimately triggered its partial renationalisation. Following the crash, Railtrack imposed more than 1,200 emergency speed restrictions across its network, since it did not have the knowledge to predict where rolling contact fatigue might hit next.
24 October 2000 – Connex loses its South Central franchise after a decision by the Strategic Rail Authority to re-let the franchise following criticism of Connex’s poor customer service and poor financial management.
7 October 2001 – In the face of severe financial difficulties, Railtrack plc is placed into railway administration by the Labour government’s Transport Secretary, Stephen Byers. This leads to an explosion of costs and a severe drop in performance. Railtrack was subsequently replaced by Network Rail.
10 May 2002 – A train derails at Potters Bar, killing seven people and injuring 76. A poorly maintained set of points was to blame, the maintenance of which was the responsibility of the private sector railway maintenance contractor Jarvis (who had tried to blame the accident on ‘sabotage’). Eight years later, Jarvis and Network Rail (having taken on Railtrack’s liabilities) were both charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Network Rail subsequently took track maintenance back in-house.
27 June 2003 – The Connex South Eastern franchise is terminated by the Strategic Rail Authority, citing the company’s poor performance and financial management.
15 December 2006 – GNER is stripped of its East Coast franchise by the Department for Transport, having fallen into financial difficulties and unable to meet the terms of its franchise.
13 November 2009 – National Express gives up the East Coast franchise (which it had taken over from GNER) owing to financial difficulties, having accumulated more than £1 billion of debt. The failure of this franchise deprived the Department for Transport of between £330 million and £380 million of revenue.
15 August 2012 – The Department for Transport announces FirstGroup plc as the winner of the InterCity West Coast franchise, prompting the incumbent franchise holder, Virgin, to seek a judicial review of the franchise decision.
3 October 2012 – The government announces the cancellation of the InterCity West Coast franchise competition after finding significant technical flaws in the bidding process, rescinding its decision to award the franchise to FirstGroup. The Public Accounts Committee found that civil servants had made “fundamental errors” in the way that the risks for each bid had been calculated, leading to the default surety required of bidders being too low. The government reimbursed the four bidders for all costs incurred; this amounted to £39.7 million, with a further £4.9 million paid to FirstGroup as reimbursement of their mobilisation costs. In the ensuing shambles, numerous incumbent franchise holders were directly awarded extensions to their franchises instead of opening them up to tender. So much for competition!
17 December 2014 – A report from the Public Accounts Committee is severely critical of the Department for Transport’s inept handling of the procurement of new trains for the Intercity Express Programme and Thameslink. The DfT had chosen to break away from previous procurement arrangements and carry out the procurement by itself, despite having no previous experience in this area.
3 April 2015 – The private train operator West Coast Railways has its operator’s licence suspended by Network Rail amid concerns over the company’s ability to perform its safety obligations. This action followed an incident on 7 March 2015, when a steam-hauled train operated by West Coast Railways passed a signal at ‘danger’ after the driver had switched off vital train protection systems, narrowly avoiding a collision with a passenger train running at 100 mph.
Is it anyone wonder we’re all shouting Bring Back British Rail?
Spread the word! Link to this post using www.bringbackbritishrail.org/timeline and read more compelling evidence for Public Ownership here: www.bringbackbritishrail.org/evidence
Towards Public Ownership
31st March 2015 | Evidence / News
This TUC Report summarises research by Transport for Quality of Life, to show the high costs of running rail franchise “competitions” – estimated at £45million for every single one!
Given that there are 11 of these unnecessary “competitions” scheduled to take place before the next parliament ends in 2020, the Report shows how much we could save by then if we chose to run these franchises under a single publicly-owned railway company instead. It’s more than £600million!
The Arguments for Public Ownership are Overwhelming
1st January 2015 | Evidence / News
There are so many reasons why privatised rail is failing us and the environment. Check out this brilliant leaflet, supported by Bring Back British Rail, which will be handed out at the nationwide Protests for Public Ownership on Monday 5 January 2015.
All on Board
30th May 2014 | Evidence / News
Our friends at Compass have today launched their All on Board report detailing a vision for a publicly owned railway that is efficient, affordable and good for the planet.
Echoing what Bring Back British Rail has being saying for the last five years, the All on Board report demands a publicly owned railway “that constantly improves, innovates and responds to passenger needs, because it is accountable to all of us.”
The Great Train Robbery
7th June 2013 | Evidence / News
Today sees the launch of The Great Train Robbery – a new report by the Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) about the failings of rail privatisation in the UK.
It rightly describes the privatised rail system as “a serial shambles creating artificial profits for the franchise holders and hidden costs for the public.”
Together with the 2012 Rebuilding Rail report by Transport for Quality of Life, this provides yet more strong evidence for the Bring Back British Rail campaign that we need a re-unified national rail network run for people not profit.
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Bring Back British Rail
3 weeks ago
Good news for our friends at Northern Resist! Another embarrassing failure for the privatised rail system 🔨🚂 Time to end the farce of franchising and Bring Back British Rail. Join the original passenger-led campaign 👉 bringbackbritishrail.org ...
Northern rail to be renationalised – and some Beeching closures could reopen
www.theguardian.com
Transport secretary due to announce this week decision to terminate Northern’s franchiseShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Oh dear... they never learnt from 2000 when Arriva Northern was crippled by strikes etc., they took the service from them... yet like a bad tandoori was able to rename and return to business as Northern from Arriva 🤣 I guess they could put the money saved into HS2 now 🙄 Arriva successfully run the Overground service in London, but that's under the watchful eye of Transport for London. They need to get shot of those awful Pacers up North though.
In around 1990, BR substituted in the same area for non-available Sprinters and Pacers with Class 31-hauled trains rather than privatisation's cancellation of so many services.
A massive amount of blame lies falls on the government for not building the 2 extra platforms at Piccadilly and the extra 2 lines to Oxford Road. It should have been at the same time as the Ordsall Chord. The result is congestion and huge delays. It is the government at fault.
The man with two names who doesn't know the difference between a franchise and a management contract- on a par with failing grayling- there are more than enough failing franchises to take back in house but at least with northern it's a token gesture for the northerners who voted selfservatives - don't worry though the selfservatives will cut enough of your councils budget to make up for it😡
This new firm, Operator of Last Resort, looks to win a lot of work soon with SouthEastern, South Western Railway, Midlands, Northern, Wales and Abellio Scotrail. Surely that's against Competition rules? 🧐🤣
Renationalise it. Make a hash of it. Prove to the new Tories up north that privatisation is the way to go. Brilliant.
Sadly the standard of BR is in the past. The privatisation has changed the railway from a public transport system vastly under funded. To fragmented system That is only interested in profit and fiddle timetable so trains also hit targets for bonuses. If BR had been given the money that private companies have then we like Germany France and Spain have. Privitisation has been very profitable for Richard Branson The German government French government and other's. At the expense of us all.
And northerns shareholders should be made to reimburse passengers for the delays and cancellations and overcrowdings and i mean a good chunk not the patheic delay repay scheme that pays out the absolute minimum if youre lucky to get anything......bloody ridiculous that because they put in a £1 they can provide a god awful service then take out £2 at the other end.....the railways should not be at the mercy of shareholders.....
Nothing more than political dogma led to the Franchise system being forced on our rail network, and has been an economic and social failure since day one, although why it has taken over 25 years to realise this is beyond me. In the last days of BR, Intercity and Network Southeast were showing profit, and doubtless other sectors would have followed suit. The Network now costs the fare and taxpayer far more than it ever did under BR, and only benefits profit driven companies and shareholders. As for re-opening lines axed by Beeching / Marples, where there has been a proven need for re-instatement, feasability "studies" have always grossly over-stated the cost, ensuring that progress would not be forthcoming, and that road congestion will continue to worsen. Far better to scrap the not needed and unwanted HS2, and spend the money on re-nationalisation of our Network, and re-instatement of services that should never have been scrapped.
Same infrastructure, same timetable, same rolling stock, same staff..... Millions in rebranding. You can't change what cannot be changed. Manchester victoria is now a bottle neck thanks to tpe running all East to West services through there. Not building extra platforms at piccadilly is another bottle neck. If taking Northern take tpe too...
The railway IS Nationalised in all but name.
Why is Northern so crap?? Delay, cancelled, Late, overcrowded - unable even to run a train set!!!! It was bad when Arriva had it before - it's even worse now!!!!!!!
Some Beeching closures? That'll be fun, getting the old Honington line cleared along South park Avenue. I watched a steam loco pass by there years ago.
Many years ago a report was made that a free rail system would save the nation money! Something to do with reduced wear and tear on the roads reduced costs for ticket staff etc can't remember when but I am sure some comp nerd could find it check it out I think auther was penny bailly can't be sure though Good luck
We were on one of the pacers this morning to Meadowhall even the guard had his coat woolly hat on cos there was no heating on
A step in the right direction. The present rolling stock is a disgrace, especially those so-called "pacer" carriages. Like something from the 1960s !
Can't wait for constant delays going to London. 7hr to get to London from Wigan. Ooh I can't wait! Good old British Rail.
Also - Beeching cuts and privatised railways have one thing in common - Conservative transport policy which is geared to road transport.
They ought to send some to London and give them a taste of what we have to put up with
And no doubt in a year, once it’s making money it will again be flogged off to the highest bidder.
Actually #LiarJohnson said he would reverse a substantial number of Beeching cuts, so even considering not doing so confirms his status.
It isn't being renationalised. The franchise terms were breached, and the contract will be re offered soon enough. Don't be fooled.
Great news. Now scrap HS2 as well.
"He said there was £500m set aside for reopening lines. " that wont go vey far especially when a small single platform halt can cost upwards of £3m a time
100 million pounds to privatise! Should have spent it on infrastructure instead,we would have the best railways in Europe!
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Bring Back British Rail shared a post.
4 weeks ago
Privatisation is failing left, right and centre. Even the Tories are considering re-nationalisation! Please sign We Own It's petition to bring railways back into public ownership now! ✊🚄 ...
Bring our railway into public ownership now!
weownit.org.uk
The best chance to take back our railwayShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Privatisation has been a mitigated disaster. It was supposed to be about competitive pricing and choice. It was pretty much a race to the bottom. The only competition was who can charge the highest prices and provide the worst service.
All in it together is what is needed it's not about of its private or state run. NR and the TOCs need to pull In the same direction and not necessarily be for profit.....
'Great' Western Railway are a joke, every train I've been on this week has been late, two trains cancelled due to broken down trains leading to overcrowding on the next and people still unable to board.Pathetic.
The Tories committed the Great Train Robbery. They should be locked up for it. The only way they'll re- nationalise is if they can get away with paying out vast sums in compensation to all their pals who would loose out.
Good luck with that. With the most right-government in power and with a huge majority expect the direction of travel towards even smaller public service investment.
Rubbish privatised rail has been a huge success! Companies like Virgin have made billions!
I'm all for nationalisation of utilities! Especially the railways as we need them to be efficient and reliable, in order to reduce the number of cars on our roads!! 😀
They don’t need to do it all at once. Just take them back one by one as the franchise contracts finish. And merge them gradually under one banner.
Think BR did a great job.with very unreliable Loc'os.
1st class single, 1st class return. Standard single, Standard return the only ticket options needed keep it simple and affordable, not too much to ask for.
If they re-privatise it, they will have to foot the costs in subsidising the unworkable franchises.
resurrection of British Rail-destroyed by Beeching?
Could you please give me the sources for "even the Tories are considering re-nationalisation"? I find it far fetched.
Renationalising our railways would a beginning of getting our country back
The only way to get it all running together again!
Most of our Privatised Railways are run by Nationised Railways Companies of other Countries. Germany and Holland mostly. What an absolute farce. Pathetic.
It can and will work.
had to do a double take when i saw the text at the top!!!!!
Is network rail not public ownership
The only way the Tories will re-nationalise the railways is if there is something it it for them. No other reason.
It will never happen.
Railways don’t make money 🥴🥴🥴🥴!!!
Southwestern is a hell, never stop delaying everyday!
XX
Take back control!!
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
No More Rail Reviews: It’s time to declare a National Crisis in Public Transport! Read the Association of British Commuters' brilliant blog laying out passengers' demands for 2020:
🚌 Declare a National Crisis in Public Transport
🚂 Abandon the Williams Rail Review
📝 Hold a Referendum on Public Ownership of Rail and Bus Services ...
No More Rail Reviews: It's time to declare a National Crisis in Public Transport - Association of British Commuters
abcommuters.com
At a time when rail francising is quite clearly collapsing, today’s 2.7% fare rise is an outrage, and another clear sign that the government and industry will continue to treat us as no more than a captive market, continuing to pay more while we are constantly receiving less. Today, we’ll be joi...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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I think BR could learn from the TfL model, make all operators wear British Rail blue / grey (Jaffa livery for Greater Anglia's Essex Express :D )... all the bus firms in London manage with a sensible fare system and one livery. Corbyn's plan of buy the lot and make a State Railway was as mad as his Broadband offer 🙄🤣
Wouldn't want British rail back was a rail and underground commuter from the age of 16 was bloody aweful probably the same in all of our big cities Use the rail services now for long journeys to visit family (using off peak) trains are clean staff helpful and friendly and mostly trains run on time And the sandwiches are edible All this is about commuters and until offices and shops stagger work ours in big cities ths is never going to change it was the same in my commuting days and has never changed we were packed like sardines standing most of the way trains were late or cancelled and if you work 9 to 5 it will forever be the same
No one wants to go back to a rail system as we had in the 80s any more than I want to ride in a 1980s car. But looking at the rest of Europe it’s clear that the state CAN run a better cheaper service than we have. If a UK government claims this isn’t possible in the UK then I want a more competent government.
I'm not supporting anything that asks for a referendum. Not just because of the current mess but also because if the government do some kind of associated dodginess and we lose we'll be in a worse position than now.
Too late. The morons have voted and we have a tory government again
The Tories don’t understand the concept of service - they only understand profit - money, money and more money for shareholders, top management and Tory politicians.
They ant to get every e. Public transport ! Then make it cheap and on time !
Used BR lots in the 80s and 90s, pretty good services and despite what daily mail car drivers and Les Dawson will have think, catering was quite ok and,restuarant meals really good. sod todays prices , pure rentier economics, lining the pockets of the international rich set.
I just understand how the government want us to give up our cars yet public transport is a joke never on time and prices right out of control in some cases it's cheaper to use the car.
I remember about 25 years ago that it used to be cheaper for 2 people to travel a long trip by car rather than get 2 returns by train. It's now cheaper for 1 person to take their car rather than take the train. I thought the idea of public transport was to get people off the roads.
The people who voted Tory obviously don't mind paying higher prices for a poorer service while bankrolling the franchises. Good on them
This fudgekin lot only listens to it's own share holders and the boards and the profit patrol not interested in the people only profit 🤬🤬🤬
98% of fare revenue goes back into the railway, staff cost, DfT, Network Rail charges ...
Way to do this would have been to vote in a party that would have done something. Not the same party that's been in power for 9 years.
It takes a degree in economics to get the best ticket.
To late profit before services Tory’s don’t care
Unfortunately we’ll have to forget about this for at least another four years.
but lets keep voting tory because we all know 10 years was not long enough to sort out the transport system
What you going to do about those working class Tories who voted to pay more.
Sadly there is too much money changing hands for change!
Why shud taxpayers pay to re-natitiolise it? First that, then the floodgates will open.
Profit over people. The Tory mantra!
So easy just to blame the Tories and sit back. Job done.
If you didn’t vote Labour shut up and suck it up!
I’d like to see a study done on how much per mile the 27 members of EU pay for rail travel. And compare it to ours. Gino just took a train to Florence and only paid about 7 euros on his tv show.
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Bring Back British Rail is at King's Cross St Pancras.
2 months ago
Passengers Rise Up! Day of Action at stations across the UK today, demanding an end to the farce of rail franchising and fair fares now! With Bring Back British Rail, the Association of British Commuters, Northern Resist and NOR4NOR ✊🚂 ...
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I was told that as well , but I’m still in the railway 45 years this year, I don’t like privatised railways but even if Labour got in it would have taken years to renationalise the railways as too many TOCS with different conditions and wages so it would have been a nightmare to sort it out, and it would never go back to what it was in BR days the damage has been done for too long
Note that South Western Railways could be nationalised as it been losing £137m
The country had its chance to sort all this out at the election, you cant vote for capitalism and expect socialism!!!!!! These protests will fall on deaf ears as they have done since privatisation began, try telling a director or shareholder the won't get his 6 million pound bonus this year because passengers dont like it!!
where is the so called investment in services? I live in tunbridge wells, service is satisfactory. no major problems in the 25 years of commuting to london, except the cost!! BUT, it has been the same rolling stock in use since late 90's, slam door carriages were still in use in 2001. the timetable is the same as BR in 1994, 3-6 minutes quicker into london, only by cutting out station stops after sevenoaks. they paint the stations,change uniforms with new franchises. ALL cosmetic, mediocre changes at great cost to users.
Part of our railways are State owned, the other privatised & owned by a multitude of companies from other countries. Have no problem with this. My bugbear is the difference in service/philosophy between the railways being a public service for good (to help mitigate climate change & that of making a profit for shareholders of private companies who don’t care about their social impact.
Yep agree. Turkeys voted for xmas. Really is no point. Admirable tho the demos are.
Too late for renationalisation now. After it was initially privatised and the BR ‘red tape’ removed it should have THEN been re-nationalised. It’s now gone too far down the path for renationalisation to be effective now. Too many fingers in too many pies for it to work. Someone mentioned electric vehicles. Incredibly unlikely to happen. Not enough infrastructure for it, technology not ready to give adequate range for all except urban areas. The reasons go on.
Yeha your train services being somewhat shambolic isn’t a national crisis Ours are worse in Aus and well we are in a national crisis
All the folk going on about voting for Corbyn and his fairytale campaign.. Get a grip, the government whether Tory or Labour love the roads as the revenue generated by fuel duty is huge! The cost of running a car and buying a train ticket for the same journey are canny similar!
It's a bit late now. BBBR should have publicly supported the labour party.
To many foreign companies running the networks hence we pay the highest fare prices in Europr
Looking at most of the people in the photos, not many of them will remember BR...also, the country voted in December and chose to keep the conservatives, so now you know..why don't you stop wasting your time with this futile campaign and put your efforts in to something more useful, such as encouraging the motoring masses to move over to EV'S?
The sheep dont understand they voted for lamb leg steaks... fools
Well if people voted in labour would be a different story !
The chance of real change was missed on 12th December.
Do realize ticket revenue goes to the government, right?
You could have changed things, but no now you must all pay up.
not a lot of support
Well done!
You had your chance in General election to change a failed system so get on with it
If the rail network did somehow get back into BR, would it really improve anything?
You voted for it
It's a cash cow, what kind of bonuses are the fat cats on?
I assume that most folks subjected to perpetual train misery voted Tory?
Public choice was that they liked the Tory policy of private ownership of rail. They enjoy the price increases and companies taking public money to give to their shareholders. Overcrowded filthy trains are wonderful. They had a chance to decide to Re-Nationalise rail services and decisively voted against it. The great British public have decided.
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
This Thursday 2nd January 2020! ✊ Please join passengers from Bring Back British Rail, the Association of British Commuters, Northern Resist, NOR4NOR and more who will protesting at stations across the country for our Passengers Rise Up! Day of Action demanding an end to the farce of rail franchising and fair fares now! 🚂 Event Schedule 👉
07:00-09:00 King’s Lynn Station
08:00-09:30 London King's Cross Station
09:30-10:30 Chelmsford Station
10:00-12:00 Norwich Station
11:30-12:30 London Liverpool Street Station
16:00-17:30 Burton-on-Trent Station
16:30-19:30 Bolton Station ...
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Reopen obvious gaps like Matlock- Buxton, Uckfield- Lewes, and the whole Waverley route. Reconnect large towns like Wisbeach.
People have selective memories. Yes, BR was successful in many ways, especially InterCity, but local services were often sparse and many have been improved, for example Reading - Basingstoke which I used to commute for decades. In the 80's there was only one stopper an hour and only about 6 cross country expresses a day. Now it's a stopper every 30 mins AND a cross country Express once or twice an hour. But I agree the profits should not go to other places. And InterCity was running subsidy free at privatisation in 1992.
For pure pedantry (!), do note that 'Passengers rise up!' (as above) is a statement: they do rise up. What you intended, I think, is an instruction or invitation: 'Passengers, rise up!'
It's gone to far now. The Real Railwayman have gone only few left. Railway used to run on tea and rumours. Now it's greed. And most is foreign run with more tBritish taxpayers money than B.R ever received. Which under investment was the main handicap.
Protesting at stations that ha e new fleets and massive investment ate very visable . What's the significance of Burton. Seems to make little sense that one
Abellio are doing such a wonderful job in Scotland that they are losing the contract in 2022 at the mid point. Seems they asked for extra cash....
The train service from Scarborough to anywhere is shocking which is why no-one in their right mind from Scarborough uses the trains hence the constantly clogged up roads
We want our country back with profits going to improve our railways and reduce fares
Network Rail is state owned and the TOCs are more heavily regulated by yhe DfT than BR ever was.
Who voted for Boris then, think a few of you up north gave him a helping hand, you're reaping what you have sewn!
Passengers will grumble. Then they'll go back to voting Tory
Too late, shoulda voted Labour people. You'll get 5 years glib promises and patronising, and plenty of standing time to repent. If lucky.
I wish Labour had Won.. BR would be back and fares would be 1/3 off.
You all voted for this remember
What's your solution. A protest vote wins nothing as proved
Never going to happen no matter what colour team is in charge, to many Fat Cats creaming profit.
Burton on Trent should say Burton upon Trent..the station has the wrong name for the town!
Bring back British Rail.
Should have voted labour then br would be back
Anything in sheffield?
Just stop 🛑 paying as counts can’t deal with 1000000 cash on top don’t pay travel for free or as I’d put it money your should have had back !!!!!!!
Why are they all south?????
nothing in manchester?
Bring Back British Rail why were you so quiet during the election?
Month to late, should have voted Labour
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