Make ScotRail Public
1st April 2020 | News / Petition
Five years ago today, Abellio – the company owned by the Dutch government – took over running Scotland’s Railway. After years of poor service, on 18 December 2019, the Scottish Minister for Transport Michael Matheson MSP, finally announced that he would break Abellio’s contract three years’ early (on 31 March 2022).
On 1 April 2020, we re-launched the Make ScotRail Public campaign in collaboration with our friends at Get Glasgow Moving, TSSA and We Own It, to demand that a public sector operator is ready to take over running ScotRail services by 2022.
‘Britain’s trains have effectively been nationalised’
23rd March 2020 | News
Today, as a result of the Coronavirus Outbreak, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps utilised Section 118 of the Railways Act 1993 to suspend all current franchise agreements with private Train Operating Companies and replace them with temporary Emergency Measures Agreements.
This led The Guardian newspaper to report that ‘Britain’s trains have effectively been nationalised‘, despite this actually looking more like a massive bailout for failing private companies whose share prices then surged as a result.
These Emergency Measures Agreements also only apply to franchises currently let by the Department for Transport and, of course, exclude LNER and Northern, which are already in public ownership – a fact we were celebrating at the start of the month:
So, the new Emergency Measures Agreements do not apply to:
• the ScotRail or the Caledonian Sleeper franchises let by the Scottish Government,
• the Transport for Wales Rail franchise let by the Welsh Government,
• the TfL Rail or London Overground contracts let by Transport for London, or
• the Merseyrail contract let by Merseytravel
Please explore the ‘Franchises‘ pages of our website (first launched in 2015 and now updated regularly) to find out who runs the railways in your area, and how you can help campaign for public ownership:
Keep Northern Public
24th February 2020 | Demonstration / News
This March, after years of failure under the control of private companies, Northern rail will be officially re-nationalised!
To mark this momentous moment, we’re working with our friends at RMT, We Own It, the Association of British Commuters and Northern Resist, to organise a Day of Action across the North of England demanding that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps keeps Northern in public ownership from now on.
Please join us at one of the stations listed below and sign the petition here 👉 you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/keep-northern-public
Monday 2 March 2020:
06:30-08:45 Carlisle Station
07:00-09:00 Manchester Victoria Station
07:00-09:00 Wigan Station
07:00-09:00 York Station
07:00-10:00 Leeds Station
07:30-09:00 Newcastle Central Station (Main Entrances on Neville Street)
07:30-09:00 Wakefield Westgate Station
16:00-18:00 Sheffield Station
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.
General Election 2019
22nd November 2019 | Merchandise / News
The Labour Party’s manifesto for the UK General Election on 12 December 2019 promises to deliver publicly-owned railways, mail, water and energy. Could this finally be our chance to Bring Back British Rail?
Make sure you register to vote before the deadline on Tuesday 26 November 2019, 11.59pm so that you can have your say!
And order your Bring Back British Rail merchandise in time for the election! Our #GE2019 Special Offer gets you a Rail Card Wallet, Enamel Badge and Embroidered Patch for just £10 including delivery in the UK.
Williams Rail Review
18th March 2019 | News
Today Bring Back British Rail and We Own It met Keith Williams, head of the Williams Rail Review, the biggest review of our railways since privatisation.
We agreed with Keith, rail franchising is broken and told him public ownership is the answer!
Please take time to #TellKeith your views before the deadline on 31 May 2019
📝 gov.uk/government/consultations/williams-rail-review
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.
Add your name here: care2.com/renationaliserailways
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.
Bring Back British Rail
2 weeks ago
Our friends at the Association of British Commuters have exposed the secret government talks about the future of our railways happening right now 🚄 Please read this and write to your MP today to ensure we use this opportunity to end privatisation for good. ...
Transparency Now: no more secret talks about the future of our railway - Association of British Commuters
abcommuters.com
Secret talks between government and train companies have been underway for the past two weeks. There is a crisis over the future of the railway and big decisions will be taken imminently – including the question of public ownership. The Department for Transport had been hoping to convert the rail ...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Bring Back British Rail
3 weeks ago
This crisis has shown the future has to be publicly-owned 🚄 Time to Bring Back British Rail! bringbackbritishrail.org ...
This content isn't available at the moment
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people or changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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How has it shown that !!! There is no revenue so how can you say that this is the right way to go .
I thought we had..?
it'll never happen as long as there is a prospect of a tory government, and the last few years has proven that people despite getting screwed by them will still vote for them, the mind doth boggle
We're dependant to the one thing that binds every Left/Right Government, and Human Being on the Planet.. The World Economy.. We can't blame, 'the players' of the game.. (economists) for 'playing' within the rules of the said game, the World Economy.. It's, 'the game' that needs to change.. Why have we allowed an unsustainable ethos to divide us to the point, of who lives, and who die's, based entirely on you're place of birth.. We are now seeing 'our' high-streets, succumb to the crumbling cliff, and as we check over our shoulders from, 'our-rung' of the ladder, we are now (hopefully) awakening to the fragility and inequality of the system we're all desperately clinging onto??? We need a brand-new 'game,' with brand-new 'players.'.. This economy perpetuates itself by definition, it's how it works..
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Bring Back British Rail
1 month ago
Join us in remembering public transport workers and all other key workers who have lost their lives during the coronavirus crisis #IWMD20 One minute silence at 11amJoin us to remember every worker who has died from #COVID19 and other work related injuries and diseases on International Workers' Memorial Day.
28 April at 11am for a minute silence.
#IWMD20 #NeverForgotten ...
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Comment on Facebook Join us to remember ...
With respect and the gov. give the familys help
International Workers Memorial Day happens on 28th April every year to commemorate workers killed at work. Unfortunately this year the tragic deaths of workers who’ve died from Covid-19 have been included. Lack of PPE is a breach of health & safety legislation.
Good idea but what about everyone else who has also died? Are they not worth stopping for too.
Give them ppe
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
On April Fools’ Day 2015, Abellio - the company owned by the Dutch government - took over running ScotRail 🚆 Last year, after years of poor performance, Michael Matheson MSP agreed to end Abellio's contract three years' early (on 31 March 2022). Sign our #MakeScotRailPublic petition to demand that a publicly-owned operator takes over 📝 you.38degrees.org.uk/p/publicrailwayscotland ...
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No Tim, we will not ‘give it a rest’. We will continue haranguing you tories who want a privatised railway but continually demand that the public bail you out with subsidies, and are somehow happy that every single franchise is foreign-owned. Two faced hypocrisy.
Timing of this post is appalling. Give it a rest during this worldwide crisis.
any train company should be public
Renationalise all railways
Nationalise the lot 👍
Sam Hayward
Ed Henry
Make all rail public ASAP.
To many foreigners taking over key industries and services . Profits are leaving the country in millions but services provided are abysmal. High time all key services were nationalised.
Most of our railways are nationalised. The trouble is it's all foreign nations. How on earth did our government let that happen? No replies please, I know.
It already is, the Dutch public own it.
Nationalisation is here to stay !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not the best climate at the moment but they can now see what Northern & LNER achieve in public ownership before anymore decisions
That's the SNP's plan.
We can't wait till 2022 - needs done NOW.
The franchise system is past its sell by date
I'm all for nationalisation in the bigger picture. But dont we subsidise the Scots enough. Thanks to us they already get,free prescriptions, tuition fees dentistry and all. So no let them pay for something themselves and generate their own income
In fact, people should be doing maths, not rocket science. The importance of passenger revenue under privatisation has declined. In the last ten years of BR, it averaged around 64% whereas in the first ten years of privatisation, its 55%.
SNP and Alex Salmond?
Abeltitio more like
Can't nationalise it as Westminster /network rail are in charge of the tracks points and signalling and some Scottish stations
Phil Taylor Rio was the first name down
Shug Cumming
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
A momentous day 🚆✊ 'Britain’s trains have effectively been nationalised' amidst the coronavirus crisis. This proves what we've been saying all along - public transport is an essential public service, not a cashcow for private operators. ...
Covid-19: government suspends rail franchise agreements
www.theguardian.com
Emergency measures will be in place for six months to avoid train companies collapsingShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Terrible decision, the franchise holders should be made accountable and bail themselves out with the profits they have made. If not they should surrender the franchise. The government should commence an emergency nationalisation of the railways and rolling stock due to the pandemic. Forcing the discharged of all the private rail franchise contracts due to frustration and bringing them under the control and operation of the government.
Not nationalisation. Just allows them to bail out the franchises as their incomes fall. Branson will probably try to sue HMG for not allowing his gravy train to keep running. (He will just have to depend on whatever he gets from NHS!)
However, the train operators will continue to run the services "for a small predetermined management fee", the DfT said. Private companies will run the trains but the government underwrites it all and, during this exceptional time, carries the losses.
I wonder how many don't realise you've deliberately reversed the BR logo? At first I thought you'd 'hung the Union Flag upside down'.
Bloody Northern started arbitrary rolling cancellations on the day I was trying to get to Manchester Airport (March 20th). Had to get a taxi in the end after I'd paid for rail tickets. Good riddance I say, and welcome back BR (permanently I hope).
I still can't understand why we are subsidising the railways most of which are Dutch, Italian, French & Japanese owned ??
Corbyn is proved right, yet again, as Johnson is forced to follow Socialist policies and put People before shareholders Profits!
To keep the 2 metre distance put more trains on don't reduce them which increases overcrowding ffs get the basics right.
temporarily nationalised, to stop rail operators from going bust, they will be handed back when this emergency is over.
It has not been done for us, it has been done to protect their profits
Socialise the losses then hand it back to the same companies later? No, keep it.
Wish they would close the Tube. Cut services mean people are so jammed together and no air or space. Use the buses if you have to.
This is amazing news! Nationalise railways like China, have the transport at a standardise price for all to utilise and benefit from!
Let's make it permanent. Next up, public utilities!
It's a temporary bail-out, that's all.
as things progress we see more of labours manifesto pledges being implemented, and they called him an extremist.
Personally I would let the private companies take the hit as they have had 24 years of profit now it getting tough they all cry
If it were a (proper) Labour government in power I'd be a lot happier about this news.
The creditable alternative is BR
Is the UK Government also removing the subsidy going directly to share holders and to management group?
Many of the operators are foreign!
Nationalised the debt
Call me a cynic but I see this as the Tories protecting their friends from losses associated with this crisis. The public purse will cover the damage. When this is all over the franchises will resume and we’ll be back to square one.
Let's try to make it permanent (although I think an arms length wholly owned organisation (ALMO) would be a better prospect in the long term).
When JC proposed re-nationalisation the howls of derision were ‘where’s the money coming from?’ Now the toryscum do it when there’s hardly any revenue coming in, so either this is an excuse to axe lines in favour of their beloved money pit HS2 or there really is a ‘magic money tree’ 🤔
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