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.
‘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?
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
Help us take Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to court!
17th April 2018 | Fundraising / News
Enough is enough! Our East Coast mainline was a brilliant success in public-ownership and should never have been re-privatised in 2015. Now it has failed for the third time at the hands of private operators: GNER in 2007, National Express in 2009 and now Virgin Trains East Coast in 2018.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has admitted that Virgin Trains East Coast “got its numbers wrong” and breached “a key financial covenant” in their franchise agreement. Yet, he is allowing its owners – Stagecoach and Virgin – to walk away and continue running and bidding for other rail franchises. We can’t let them get away with this.
We’re now working with public law experts Leigh Day to bring Chris Grayling to court to account for these decisions. We expect this to be a landmark Judicial Review case; exposing the farce of rail franchising for the shameful waste of public money that it is, and paving the way to a re-unified national rail network run in the public’s interest once again.
Please pledge and share today: crowdjustice.com/case/eastcoast
Please help us reach more people by sharing on Facebook or Twitter!
Commemorating 70 years since Nationalisation
29th March 2018 | Merchandise / News
New Embroidered Patches available for 2018!
2018 year is bittersweet. We’re commemorating 70 years since our railways were unified and nationalised as ‘British Railways‘, as well commiserating 25 years since the disastrous 1993 Railways Act, which paved the way to the fragmented mess of privatisation that we have now.
These contrasting anniversaries show that times can, and do, change. In the last nine years since our campaign was founded in July 2009, we have been central in transforming the national debate, taking the re-nationalisation of our railways from a taboo topic to mainstream policy. Now we’re sure it’s only a matter of time until we realise our dream.
Make East Coast Public!
1st February 2018 | News / Petition
The Virgin Trains East Coast rail franchise is close to collapse, making it the third private sector operator, after GNER in 2007 and National Express in 2009, to fail.
We’re working with our friends at We Own It and many other partners to campaign for our East Coast mainline to be brought back into public ownership, permanently.
Please sign the petition here: weownit.org.uk/east-coast
Stop Privatisation Merchandise
28th November 2017 | Merchandise / News
This Christmas we’re working with Teemill on some new Bring Back British Rail merchandise, available as jumpers, hoodies, t-shirts, tote bags and tea towels! All ethically sourced organic cotton with proceeds going to support our volunteer-run campaign for rail re-nationalisation founded in 2009.
Order at: bringbackbritishrail.teemill.com
With free delivery if you order by midnight on Sunday 3 December 2017
Bring Back British Rail shared a post.
4 days ago
End the Rail Rip-Off! protests are taking place at stations across Britain today against rail fare increases of 2.8% from January 2020. As the Department for Transport announce First Group are to take over the West Coast rail franchise from London to Glasgow from December, join us at 5pm at Glasgow Central Station for a Protest for public ownership of rail! 🚆Just in: Passengers are to be hit by a 2.8% rail fare increase.
We've just been outside Kings Cross to say loud and clear that the public have had enough of the rip off. We need Keith Williams, head of the government's rail review to recommend public ownership now! ...
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www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/14/firstgroup-consortium-to-replace-virgin-on-west-coast-ma...
As I am very unwell.
The other side of this is that the Government needs to explain why fuel duty has not risen in line with RPI for the last 7 years. This represents a significant subsidy to the motorists. And, indeed, does the Government have any strategic transport policy?
Be good to see some collated benefits vs year on year fares increase "reasons given" for say the last 10 years. I also believe theres much jam tomorrow schpiel wheeled out by each subsequent "head of communications" of these money grabbing companies. Soon we will all be working just to a) keep the roof over our heads and b) paying to get to work to cover a). This country is going backwards. Cut cut cut in services (not just railways) but increase increase increase on prices.....
Keith should definitely be under public ownership. It’s clear Bring back steam, slam door carriages and strikes. The good old days
Railways are for public transport not for private profit.
How can adding 2.8% too fares be fair. When Transport for Wales services are even worse than when Arriva Trains Wales ran the service with cancellations galore, dirty and in kept rolling stock.
Who is Keith?
benefits either frozen or up only by CPI, fares up by RPI. A national scandal
A video I took on Friday of last week This is not acceptable
🤬
Yes
Sam Hayward
everybody should publicly own keith.
Sorry I couldn't make it yesterday.
Keith?
Utterly ridiculous, I'm from Rotherham South Yorkshire and a disabled manual wheelchair traveller here is what BBC ceefax say's in my area. Northern has admitted that some of it's heavily - criticised Pacer trains will be used in South Yorkshire next year, despite a pledge to remove them. The rail firm began rolling out it's new trains in June, saying it would take all Pacers out of use by 2020. It later said some of the trains - which no longer comply with disability access rules - would be around for longer. A spokesman confirmed " a small number would be used in South Yorkshire" So according to the head of the railway system has said, as he said after this year's ticket price hike, it will mean more public and private money generated from the price rise will be invested in better trains, less delays, less crowded trains and less cancellations, how come year on year ticket price increases have, from my experience, had little, if any, effect on all the above issues and further as a Northern Rail disabled user if Pacer trains no longer comply with disability access rules surely using Pacer trains where tickets and Passenger Assistance has been booked for a disabled person like me is breaking disability access rules and therefore disabled passengers should have a right to take Northern Rail to Court where their scheduled journey is on a Pacer train. I have booked, in advance, to travel from Rotherham Central to Sheffield this Friday and I have absolutely no doubt that it will be a Pacer train when I am at Rotherham Central and when I return from Sheffield to Rotherham Central I will upload pictures of the trains that turn up. This price hike like all the past price hikes has little to do with improving the trains and all the continuous over crowded, late and indeed cancelled trains more I firmly believe it is in the interests of shareholders.
you don't own nothing all sold off by the tories to foreign governments
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Bring Back British Rail shared a photo.
2 weeks ago
Today our new Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP cancelled the Southeastern rail franchise competition, which had been open to tenders since November 2017. What a waste of time and money. It's time to End the Farce of Franchising altogether and Bring Back British Rail! Join us at bringbackbritishrail.orgEND THE FARCE OF FRANCHISING
Print your own Bring Back British Rail placard!
bringbackbritishrail.org/materials/placard-black.pdf ...
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Read the story here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49262115
Southern Fail even got its charter renewed and the fares go even higher. No wonder they have separated themselves from inter-rail - Naples to Rome return for £20 which won't even get you the 60 odd miles to London ....
If renationalisation is illegal, as some here say, then how come the Scottish government have just nationalised the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow??
I cant see it. Would love it if we went back to excursions and reliefs and diversions with an end to the rail replacement bus but imagine the legal costs involved in paying off all the existing moneygrabbing shareholders.
The politicians will never do it - it's all down to the money involved 😣
All public services should be renationalised! Public transport, water, gas, electricity! 😤
There was such pride in working on the railways.
I worked for BR and saftey and time keeping along with customer care were paramount. Best of training, working conditions and a general rule that the service MUST work. This is a shite system now.
End of the day those of us that worked under BR and who can be objective about the past openly admit it wasn't perfect. There were many areas that could gave been improved but generally it was a damned sight better overall than the shite were forced to work with now.
Vote Labour and the really important things will be re-nationalised. Don't believe the negativity......the mixed economy will remain. Socialism is not Communism it's just fairness and decent standards for all.
Every other (successful) railway in the world is just one big integrated company that does the whole lot. That's what we had with BR and by and large....it worked and it's only problem was that it was starved of investment by ideological politicians.
Currently travelling behind 60163 Tornado in original British Railways livery, en route from Edinburgh to Aberdeen :-)
I hate rail privatisation, but who honestly believes anyone in this country could run a national rail network? We don't know how to build a nuclear power station (Hinckley Point) so we farmed it out to the French. Why not invite them (SNCF) to run the railway network? Or the Dutch, who already run parts of it. Or the Germans...and so on.
As Eric Morecambe said, i am playing the right notes but no necessarily in the right order. So it was with british rail they ran the trains but not necessarily when the table said. So the only difference is that now a private company makes a profit for the failures, so bring it back into public ownership.
The government would be stupid to endorse re-nationalisation. They have the franchisees to blame when things go wrong. How many of the thousands held up at Euston tonight will blame the natikonalised Network Rail for this major failure? How many will complain to the Ministry of Transport for their failings?
But it will never be the same. BR was all about safety safety and safety. Not PPM profits and money. Bringing back BR. Has to include standard raising instead of lower and lower. Job for the boy's and if you do anything for the money.
Football specials and BR sandwiches and Jimmy Saville? No thanks!
"It will also allow the government to ensure that the recommendations of the review being conducted by the former boss of British Airways, Keith Williams, in to the railways, are taken into account. Williams Review will be published in the autumn but he has previously told the BBC government involvement should be limited to overall policy and budget decisions, and the Department for Transport should not manage the system." Here we have another outsider, like Beeching was, telling us how the railways should be run.
Grant Shapps-what on earth does he know about transport? Answers on a post card.
Absolutely, save a lot of money on legal/consultation nonsense to prevent the same franchise wheel with a few tinges of improvement or removing improvements of the past...
Bozza gave transport to that no-mark Shapps? FFS.
I say yes to BRS
All very nice but people want to wake up to the fact that this useless lump of rock in the north sea will never have another state owned rail system.
Not to mention the complexity of our rail network/ pricing almost certainly had a hand in shafting our participation in Interrail. Every other European rail network can apparently handle it, but we’re special (and not in a good way). FFS!
It’s only because you want to be a trolly dolly😂😂😂🤣
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Bring Back British Rail shared a post.
3 weeks ago
Here's a brilliant take-down of the private bus companies' new propaganda campaign by our friends at Better Buses for Greater Manchester 🚌 Please share and support the campaign for public control of buses: betterbusesgm.org.uk ...
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Public transport should be just that. Owned by the public for the benefit of the public. Run to provide an essential service and all profits after a decent payroll for the workers, gets ploughed back into further investment.. NOT into some fatcat CEOs pocket. If fares were cheaper and services more reliable and connected, more people would use it, creating more profit.. Nationalisation makes perfect sense. Privatisation is just to make rich people richer and that's a fact. 🧐
The bus companies have been lying since Earnest Marples said they could take over from the railways in the early 60’s. Their idea of running a service is to accept the contract, take the money off the county councils, take ticket money off the public and then try and run less and less buses and reduce the services every year.
In Rotherham we have 2 bus 'services' one is First the other Stagecoach both are appalling and both put profit before passengers
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Bring Back British Rail shared a post.
2 months ago
First Bus are selling their UK businesses. Our friends at Get Glasgow Moving have launched a campaign to get Glasgow City Council to bring First Glasgow back into public ownership. New powers in the Scottish Transport Bill make public ownership possible. Please sign and share 🚌🚏 you.38degrees.org.uk/p/takebackourbusesTime to take back our buses! 🚍 First Glasgow are selling up. Today we're launching a new campaign to ask Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council to bring Glasgow's buses back into public ownership. Please sign and share our 38 Degrees petition you.38degrees.org.uk/p/takebackourbuses ...
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www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/30/firstgroup-to-sell-greyhound-as-it-bows-to-activist-inve...
Foreign ownership doesn't work hence why DB are selling Arriva and First Bus are selling up
Great idea - and the railways too.
How ironic - I read somewhere that DB are looking to offload Arriva.
Just sold its ,Manchester garage / services to Go Ahead group. Ageing feet of vehicles , so getting out.
Can we not do this in Southampton after first destroyed it
Its more likely that First will be sold in entirety to Arrival (solely owned by the Federal Republic of Germany) or to a Chinese bidder.
First sold their London bus operations to Tower Transit several years ago. This particular bus started life with First London - hence the London plate beginning LK. Similar double deckers have been cascaded down to operations elsewhere in vast numbers as TfL is rapidly moving towards 100% hybrids (or in the case of single deckers, usually pure electric).
Wanna bet that Stagecoach will mount a smash and grab?
How times change. The creditable alternative is "Nationalisation".
Great idea - and the railways too.
I agree, we should take back our buses. Look at the damage a single bus did just by putting £350 million a week for the NHS on the side of it. Without that silly bus we would be looking at enjoying our membership of the EU ad Infinitum. Take them back, they ruin countries by persuading the gullible to believe their lies.
Take them back. No unjust enrichment.
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
Our friends at Guardians of the Arches are fighting against the privatisation of our railway arches which are currently publicly-owned by Network Rail. This would have a devastating impact on all the local businesses, clubs and organisations who use them if new private landlords chose to hike up rents. Say no to privatisation by supporting their Crowdfunder campaign at crowdfunder.co.uk/guardians ...
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What's next? Privatising the air above the rails?
How the hell you can sell parts of a viaduct is beyond me.
British rail was crap, I remember it well, oh when they actually run and weren’t on strike !!
This is all a bit late ne sale was completed February this year
Shame takes a revenue stream away from Network Rail, guess higher taxes will sort the shortfall
I thought they had already been sold.
Grayling is an absolute catastrophe of a man
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