Take Back Our Trains interview
25th June 2020 | Media Coverage / News
As a result of our #TakeBackOurTrains campaign, Bring Back British Rail’s Ellie Harrison was invited onto talkRADIO to discuss with Ian Collins how we can use the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to build back a better railway that is run in passengers’ interests.
Passengers Rise Up! National Day of Action
20th December 2019 | Demonstration / Media Coverage / News
On Thursday 2 January 2020, rail fares go up again by another 2.8%.
The rail franchising system is broken and it’s passengers that are paying the price.
We’re joining forces with our friends at the Association of British Commuters and other passenger groups across the country to organise a National Day of Passenger Action demanding an end to the farce of franchising and fair fares now!
They’ll be a central demonstration at London King’s Cross Station at 8am. Details of other actions will be listed on the Facebook event page and below.
Thursday 2 January 2020:
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 (organised by NOR4NOR)
11:30-12:30 London Liverpool Street Station
16:00-17:30 Burton-on-Trent Station
16:30-19:30 Bolton Station (organised by Northern Resist)
Please get in touch if you’d like to organise an action at your local station and we can help promote it: info@bringbackbritishrail.org
Media Coverage from 2 January 2020
• Transport Secretary Grant Shapps vows to strip Northern Rail of its franchise as furious commuters say they are ‘being priced off the railway’ after fares rise 2.7 per cent across UK, Daily Mail
• Train fare increase 2020: protesters gather at London’s Kings Cross warning of ‘decade of misery’ for rail commuters, I News
• Rail fares rise by 2.7%, hitting millions of commuters, BBC News
• Commuters in mass protests as 2.7% rail fare hike hits, Inside Croydon
• Railway stations to be hit by more strikes against fee hikes, Morning Star
• Northern to be stripped of rail franchise – Shapps, Wimbledon Times
• Commuters gather at Bolton station in protest over increased rail fares, The Guardian
• ‘Enough is enough!’ Furious commuter rages at railway ‘carnage’ amid fresh fare hikes, Daily Express
BBC Radio Scotland ScotRail debate
19th December 2019 | Media Coverage / News
Following Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson’s announcement that he would be ending Abellio’s contract to run the ScotRail franchise three years’ early (on 31 March 2022), Bring Back British Rail’s Ellie Harrison was invited onto BBC Radio Scotland’s Jackie Brambles show to discuss ScotRail’s future with rail journalist Philip Haigh and Rachel Jackson, actress and comedian.
We all want British Rail
18th January 2019 | Media Coverage / News
Coverage in the Daily Mirror of our Care2 petition hand-in with more than 120,000 signatures, at the Department for Transport on 18 January 2019. We’re demanding that the public ownership of our railways is properly considered in the Williams Rail Review.
Rail Revolution: Day of Action
11th December 2018 | Demonstration / Media Coverage / News
Sick of rising rail fares and chaotic commuting?
Tired of the endless tinkering with our broken privatised railway system?
It’s time for a #RailRevolution.
On Wednesday 2 January 2019, as our rail fares rise again by 3.1%, we’re joining forces with our friends at We Own It, the Association of British Commuters and NOR4NOR to organise a national day of action calling for radical reform.
Coinciding with the public consultation for the government’s new ‘root and branch’ review of rail: the Williams Rail Review, we’re calling on passengers all over the country to respond in favour of a re-unified national rail network run for people not profit.
On Wednesday 2 January 2019, protests will take place at stations across the country (see full list here), with a central one at London King’s Cross from 7:30-9:00am (photo call at 8:00am). See the Facebook event page for details, print a Bring Back British Rail placard and come join us!
Sign the Petition
Then on Friday 18 January 2019, to mark the deadline of the Williams Rail Review public consultation, we’ll be delivering our Care2 Petition to Re-nationalise our Railways signed by 118,039 people to the Department for Transport to demonstrate the sheer weight of public support for public ownership.
Make sure you add your name before then: bringbackbritishrail.org/care2
Media Coverage from 2 January 2019
• Furious passengers protest price hikes, Daily Mail
• Anger at ‘disgraceful’ rail fare rises as stations hit by protests, Sky News
• Chris Grayling blames unions for rail fare hike, BBC News
• Rail passengers stage ‘national day of action’ in protest at fare increases, Evening Standard
• Rail users to mount ‘national day of action’ over 3.1% fare rise, The Guardian
• Rail season tickets to jump by £100 for many commuters, Metro
• Train price hike: Jeremy Corbyn calls for public ownership of railways, Independent
• Rail fares rise 3.2% TODAY despite trains chaos, Mirror
• Protest in Birmingham over rising rail fares, Birmingham Live
• Protests at Sheffield railway station as rail fares rise by an average of 3.1 per cent, The Star
• York protest over national rail fare hike, The Press
Jeremy Vine on bringing back British Rail
20th September 2018 | Media Coverage / News
Following the Office of Rail and Road finding that ‘systemic failings’ have been the cause of the huge problems with new timetables on the Northern and Govia Thameslink Railway franchises, Ellie Harrison was invited to address the question ‘should we bring back British Rail?’ on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show.
‘Privatised rail just doesn’t work’ – Ellie Harrison
20th September 2018 | Media Coverage / News
Bring Back British Rail campaign founder Ellie Harrison was interviewed by Johanna Ross for Sputnik News, following Chris Grayling’s acknowledgement that ‘systemic failings’ are the cause of the many problems on our privatised rail network. Isn’t that what we’ve been saying for the last nine years?
BBC Radio Essex
15th June 2018 | Media Coverage
Following weeks of disruption in on South East England’s railways, Bring Back British Rail’s Ellie Harrison was invited to discuss re-nationalisation on Breakfast with Ben and Sonia on BBC Radio Essex.
Success! Or is it?
1st June 2018 | Fundraising / Media Coverage / News
On 16 May 2018, one month after we launched our Crowd Justice campaign to take Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to court over his handling of the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise fiasco, it was announced in the media that the route would be ‘re-nationalised’, as LNER (London North Eastern Railway) from 24 June 2018.
Success! Or is it? It later emerged that the new LNER franchise (unlike ‘East Coast’, which ran the line from 2009-15 and was wholly publicly-owned by the Department for Transport), would be run by a consortium of private companies: Arup, Ernst & Young and SNC-Lavalin.
Our legal action continues. Our lawyers have now written to Government for a forth time: to request further information about the new LNER arrangement, as well as the ongoing review of the suitability of Stagecoach and Virgin to retain their franchise ‘Passports’, given the dramatic failure of their Virgin Trains East Coast operation after just three years.
Thanks to all 907 people who have so far pledged support on Crowd Justice. Together we have already had a huge impact on events. Please continue to join this historic action.
Pledge and share our case page today: crowdjustice.com/case/eastcoast
Our Lawyers’ Letters
• 5 March 2018: Leigh Day to Department for Transport
• 16 April 2018: Leigh Day to Department for Transport (Pre-Action Protocol)
• 15 May 2018: Leigh Day to Government Legal Department
• 1 June 2018: Leigh Day to Government Legal Department
• 17 July 2018: Leigh Day to Government Legal Department
• 21 May 2019: Leigh Day to Government Legal Department
• 26 June 2019: Leigh Day to Government Legal Department
Our Case in the News
• 18 April 2018: The Canary (Interview with Ellie Harrison of Bring Back British Rail)
• 19 April 2018: BBC News
• 19 April 2018: ITV News
• 19 April 2018: City AM
• 16 May 2018: Financial Times
BBC Radio Scotland
21st November 2016 | Media Coverage / News
The day after Scotland’s Transport Minister Humza Yousef announces plans to set up a public sector operator for ScotRail, Bring Back British Rail’s Ellie Harrison debates rail re-nationalisation on The Kaye Adams Programme on BBC Radio Scotland.
Bring Back British Rail
2 days ago
Could South Western Railway and TransPennine Express Trains be about to be re-nationalised? 🚆 Read the latest exposé from our friends at the Association of British Commuters and take action to #TakeBackOurTrains 📝👉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trains ...
CLUELESS: Chaos at the DfT as Shapps evades scrutiny on government plans for rail - Association of British Commuters
abcommuters.com
As predicted in our last blog, it is now clear that the government has no idea what to do when the ‘Emergency Measures Agreements’ run out in September. After news hit the press that train companies are seeking a 12-18 month extension to their bailout, Grant Shapps was able to bury the story at ...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
Comment on Facebook As predicted in our ...
Even though I have now Retired, I would LOVE to see it return to British Rail rather than how it now is. Yes I do have a few shares as such, but WHAT profit we do get a year, IS AN INSULT to say the least. Seriously, we get less than £25.00 per year.
As a railway employee the last 3/4 months the punctuality has been fantastic less trains means a railway that can run smoothly hopefully we don’t go back to the old model of a saturated railway
Under privatisation there's no such thing as a business model in recovering costs even with the highest fares in Europe. It's simply totally subsidised by the taxpayer.
You put a spiv with no industry experience in charge of transport, and this is what you get
They have no plans they are just a bunch of rabbits caught in the headlights.
Nit called the Dept for Tomfuckery for nothing. ..
We get 159's past our house and today one was really crowded. There were three people on it.
More public money for failed privatisation. It's a win win situation for Tory donors.
they're just thinking how to skim more out of the next budget, Never a thought about giving it back to the country.
The Tory Govt is sure to pick the worst option for the travelling public & the best option for skimming money into private pockets.
Shapps is more slippery than a greased weasel ... in a game of 'Whack-a-Mole' I would concentrate on him ...
No they maybe renegotiated but will never be run by the state. Problem will be what incentive will there be in future to continue to invest in new stock . Improved facilities and timetables. Very little i suspect
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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
‘Britain's railways will be 'renationalised' using emergency coronavirus measures - ending the current franchise system’ 🚆 Grant Shapps’ proposal is to replace rail franchises with contracts managed by publicly-owned Network Rail, instead of the Department for Transport. It could be an improvement on the current shambles, but do we really need private rail companies involved at all? Let's #TakeBackOurTrains! Take action at 📝👉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trains
Britain's railways will be 'renationalised' using coronavirus measures
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has claimed the pandemic has provided the government the chance to build a 'different type of railway'. ...
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Rail travel, along with all public transport should be a standard cost per mile (or Km) and should be compatible with travelling in a car alone. Say 12 p per mile. It should not be a profit making business but a public service. There should not be huge differences according to when you travel and NO class system.
We need a single, integrated publicly owned and accountable entity. No need for or point in any privateer involvement.
Oh I see where they're doing. During the Coronavirus crisis, social distancing means that the privatised rail franchisees can't make their huge profits, so the state jumps in to take that loss. Once they're profitable, they'll be given back. Don't we just love neoliberal capitalism?
The government can't manage private companies with the NHS, so don't hold out hope for the railways.
Let’s keep it permanent and run it for our benefit, not just for shareholders and top execs
Another privatisation failure, it’s hilarious that the conservatives are having to do it, they have used public funds to support these companies.
Well as this report is in the Daily Fail, and concerns a "report" about a "Grant Shapps' proposal", I wouldn't believe a single word of it, because I am in a quandary as to who tell more lies, the supposed "journalists" who write articles in the Daily Fail, or tory government Ministers !!!!
Now as long as we're currently in the EU we can't can we? I thought that the EU rules were that one company couldn't run the infrastructure and trains. So to nationalise the trains, they'd have to be run by a different company. Government owned but separate. That was my understanding.
Network Rail's charter doesn't allow for it to be a train operator, so I don't see how that is feasible...
We don`t need nationalised company`s, fat cat wages more managers than workers seen it all before
As if bike use is going to continue in the same way after the virus has passed! Once winter comes it will be locked in the shed.
Fares and timetables in the hands of ministers??? Of what fun lies ahead
Yet when Labour suggested this it was crazy
doing his best there to resemble a bygone image of trainspotters
They are only taking them back so that the taxpayer can pay to fix up the shambles that the private sector made of them and then give away taxpayer business value for a song to other rich Tories to make a private sector fat profit and shambles of again.
Renationalise yes franchise of any name NO
Would be nice! But i honestly think this is fake news
bring back br !!
tories have to have their pals involved so they can blame public when its crap private when its good
Pure evil, they need to go, all of em.
In Germany DB is state owned and runs 80% of the German Network, the same as NL 🇳🇱. 80% of the bus network is the same too. The local council runs buses and only contractors are bought in to make up any shortfall.
Get it done
34 of the top 50 highest paid people in the public sector work on the railway. So that will now be relegation for the other 16.
I see no nationalisation anywhere in these proposals. Very little change from the current system. I know what he's at. He'll say to the public, 'There. We nationalised the railways just as you wanted.' While nothing real has happened at all. Another Con-trick.
A managed franchise is probably the worst outcome. If they are given a certain amount of money to run it then the only cost savings are the staff 😢
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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
Don't let Rail Barons Hold us to Ransom! Take action to tell Grant Shapps and Rishi Sunak to #TakeBackOurTrains 📝👉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trainsOn the front page of today's Morning Star - our campaign to take back our trains and end the farce of privatisation.
Join the campaign now: weownit.org.uk/act-now/time-take-back-our-trains ...
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Just let the companies who the frachises go bankrupt then let the government step in take them over for free
Which other daily paper is backing the campaign? Because if there is one, it will no doubt also be posted here.
there is no point in telling Shapps and Sunak anything...you'll be ignored...they're Tories FFS
As bad as the daily fail when promoted the privatisation as anything is better than the evil BR
Because in this case it is correct.
Ithiink it's called democracy?after all Britain first etc are given a platform
Commie bog roll
Communists rag
Why is this communist rag being promoted on here ?
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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
"A campaign launched last week pushing for renationalisation has already resulted 17,000 emails being sent to the government on the issue" says City AM about our new #TakeBackOurTrains campaign!
Have you written to Grant Shapps & Rishi Sunak yet? Take action 📝👉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trains ...
Calls for rail reform rise as cost of coronavirus bailout revealed
www.cityam.com
Grant Shapps will appear before the transport select committee tomorrow amid growing calls for the government to enact reform of the rail franchise system.Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
Comment on Facebook Grant Shapps will ...
Renationalisation is an ugly word, and the BBBR is too long without actually making me punch the air and say "yay!". So we go with "Make Trains great again". You get the idea. Think of something better. "You pay £100 more per month because of privatisation". "Your service will be cut, or you will pay more. We can stop that". "We can afford cheaper train tickets, can you afford more expensive child care?"
Sadly nothing can be done until we are free of eu legislation at the end of the year after which it could be made to happen
This is an article full of nothing but opinions. Such a shame but the government will still do as they please (go with what makes them money) in the long run.
Network Rail’s debt has now reached the dizzying heights of £60,000,000,000
The government have dry fucked the railways since Beeching, why do people think giving the railway back to governments that have fucked the armed forces, emergency services and the NHS so they can fuck the railway further?
Just cancel hs2. 100 billion saved. BOOM
How about a direct campaign to get people permitted to travel by train again and stop the industry being killed off. For the moment it doesn’t matter who runs the railway, unless people start travelling again, there will not be an industry left to debate.
ever thought about a massive "crowd funding" campaign to buy up all of the shares? WHats the buy out value of the train companies?
All that is needed is for everyone to stop paying their fare on all PUBLIC TRANSPORT. After all WE the GENERAL PUBLIC "OWN" IT.
Mark Underwood
According to a DfT data sheet for 2019 just 2% of total journeys were made by rail in England in 2018. Seems that the rail network might not be as essential to the general public as we in the industry would like to believe in which case the privatisation debate is purely academic.
We own it now.
I live on the Swansea to London line over the last three months I've seen no-one on the train in either direction. In diesel alone over the 3 months lockdown is £3m in fuel alone. WTF
They done so well last time
Tories will never admit they were wrong.
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Bring Back British Rail
2 weeks ago
Here's the Association of British Commuters' three key reasons why Grant Shapps and Rishi Sunak must stop the bailouts to failing private rail companies and #TakeBackOurTrains. Please make sure you use We Own It's online tool to write to them both and demand they bring rail back into public ownership now 👉 weownit.org.uk/take-back-our-trains ...
Secret bailout talks exposed: Shapps and Sunak must bring the railway into public ownership - Association of British Commuters
abcommuters.com
This week, the government’s secret bailout talks were finally forced out into the open. Parliamentary questions revealed that at least £3.5 billion has been spent on ‘Emergency Measures Agreements’ since the beginning of the lockdown in mid-March. It is now common knowledge that train compani...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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I could have some sympathy expect that it was pressure from season-ticket holders that was partly responsible for BR being privatised in the first place. Be careful what you wish for.
Wasn't that a Labour policy that the Tories laughed at .🤔
Two arse holes
You can demand until you're blue in the face, it won't happen without a change of government.
#bringbackBritishRail
It strikes me as odd that Grant Shapps comes from Hertfordshire and yet the Croxley Link sits there untouched when it would be a great link bringing the Met to #Watford Junction and also enable a Chiltern #Aylesbury-Watford passenger link as well as potential freight. Joined up thinking?
If you need to bail it out it should be nationalised.
NOT JUST the RAILWAYS. The WHOLE COUNTRY needs bringing back under the GENERAL PUBLIC'S CONTROL.
These often foreign owned franchises are costing the fare payer and general public a fortune. Get rail and bus back under UK state and municipal ownership.
All nationalised companies should be run with ruthless efficiency. Then they truly serve their owners......the people!!
We continue to pay large amounts of money for incompetence. Normal for this government
You carry on subsidizing The railways in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany then, That's what our railways are doing with your fares.
Government policy can be changed. In any case if we say and do nothing it will never happen.
Public transport across all of london needs to go bk to public control. At the moment its profit b4 people.
We demand transparency and COMMON SENSE!! Bailouts are dead money for the country. Invest in our own trains recycle our money on the system.
signed.
Jokers
If everything was taken under govornment control we would be back in the 70's. Mass unemployment , general strikes, because Billy couldnt have a cig when he wanted. The country would grind to a halt. It would be even worse under Labour.
love the way you all think even under DOLR there isnt private companies behind it, very blikered view
Sorry, doesn't fit with Tory Principle #1
You mean there still be actual commuters post Cv-19?
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