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
A Public Future for Scotland’s Railways
21st November 2017 | News
This summer Bring Back British Rail contributed ideas to this new Report by TSSA and Commonweal as part of our ongoing campaign for the Public Ownership of Scotland’s Railway launched in September 2014.
Please support the Report Launch on Tuesday 28 November 2017, 11am-1pm
Serenity Cafe Meeting Room
8 Jacksons Entry
Edinburgh
EH8 8PJ
Don’t Scrap the Electrification of our Railways!
12th October 2017 | News
This summer, the Department for Transport scrapped plans to electrify railways across South Wales and the north of England, meaning we’ll be stuck with filthy diesel trains for years to come.
Bring Back British Rail supports our friends at 10:10 Climate Action and Campaign for Better Transport in demanding investment in cleaner, greener public transport.
Bring Back British Rail
1 month ago
The Scottish Government has until 10 January 2021 to decide whether to continue to bail out Dutch state-owned company Abellio or #MakeScotRailPublic now! 🚆 Support the campaign 👇 ...
Public Ownership of Scotland’s Railway
you.38degrees.org.uk
Public transport is an essential public service. It facilitates the smooth running of our local and national economies, it helps cut the carbon emissions caused by car travel, and it enables everyone to participate in our society – to visit friends and family, to attend appointments, events or go ...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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When Jimmy Krankie gets you independence you can pay for it yourselves
I thought the Scottish parliament didn´t have the legal right to nationalise companies.
Its a no brained.
with its record on island Ferries don't hold your breath...
Are you really sure you want to be doing that? The snp screw up everything they touch. Just look at their attempt at building ferries. One afloat and rusting away with painted on windows, the other just a pile of scrap on a slipway, and the bill sitting at 300% of the original build cost.
Where would the money come from?
Anything that hurts Abellio is fine with me.
Not just the rail...make the whole of Scotland a separate country in its own right. Different currency, their own defence, their own GDP and let's see if they can afford to join NATO!
Scotland is probably going to NEED to own its rail network come independence, so...
Signed. 😁
Public-Private Partnerships ALWAYS swindle the people.
If you think the railways are shit now, you didn't live in the 1970s. In fact you have no concept of Shit Rail at all if you think handing over the railways to the unions is a good idea.
Other countries have successful transport networks that are owned by the state. Britain's privatised rail network has not been a success and Railtrack was a disaster so despite the shortcomings of the previous British Rail, a new publicly owned railway for Britain is the way forward so let Scotland lead by example. Rail subsidies doubled overnight with Major's fragmented rail scheme and fares have gone sky high.
Seeing as the idiot SNP thought awarding the contract made sense. It’s unlikely they will do anything sensible now
www.redbubble.com/i/mask/British-Rail-by-Zaibo/55745887.9G0D8?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campai...
They are not bailing Abellio out, now they are just bailing the railway out,stand by for 1970s service frequencies, the cuts have already started.
Hello , is there a personn who can find a railway cap of Scotrail for my collection /museum .Look at my website :http://www.coiffesferroviaires.net/index.html
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Bring Back British Rail
1 month ago
The Scottish Government has just 24 days left to decide whether to continue to bail out Dutch state-owned company Abellio or #MakeScotRailPublic now! 🚆 Support the campaign 👉 you.38degrees.org.uk/p/publicrailwayscotlandCoalition of organisations and MSPs call for public ownership of Scotland’s railway from January 2021
A coalition of organisations and MSPs have today joined together to write to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to call for the Scottish Government to take Scotland’s rail passenger services into public ownership from January 2021, when the Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper Covid Emergency Measures Agreements expire in just 24 days time.
The letter is signed by 14 organisations representing Scotland’s rail workers, passengers, disabled people, pensioners, environmentalists, civil society and 20 cross-party MSPs.
The signatories highlight that the Covid-19 pandemic has created ‘substantial and unprecedented challenges’ for Scotland’s railway, and that the Scottish Government has provided significant funding for the operators during this period. Yet, despite this support from the Scottish taxpayer, the private operators Abellio Scotrail and Serco Caledonian Sleeper ‘still stand to profit from Scotland’s railway through being paid a fee for operating services’.
The letter therefore goes on to say:
“Appointing a public operator in the New Year would provide greater stability and resilience for Scotland’s railways. It would also end profiteering and provide greater value for money for taxpayers and passengers by ensuring all funds are reinvested into creating an improved and more affordable railway that can play a greater role in connecting communities and reducing carbon emissions.” ...
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If its infrastructure it should be owned and ran by the country, not by a foreign company being backed by foreign governments like EDF.
Must confess I really don't think it would make much difference at present. Now, if Scotland actually had a reasonably progressive government that was actually acting on things like climate change, rather than paying lip service to them, it would be a different matter.
State-run with private investment is best. And a properly-managed, fully-integrated public transport system, which other countries have, would be superb.
Why should we bail them out !
Go Scotland and set an example for the rest of Britain.
they'll get bailed out course they will and just go bust later down the line but i bet the executives all get a massive bonus/pay out when it does and thats that
The covid pandemic has in the UK ended the franchies system early it was faling to attract bidders becouse many of the easey qnd quick ways private companys would strip out a proffit from a railway have been done many franchise face stagnent or sturated passangers numbers so no proffet through a regulated fair box or increasing usage which would requir big investment ........ So the new world will and should see the tax payer through regonal goverments pay managment companys a set fee +performance some may decide to take direct controle in europe the open/private opperators are on longer contracts but with the local taxpayer haveing strong powers and set breakes or reviews of contract One lesson for scotland would be to own or own the lease on the rolling stock this has given many city and local powers in germany the upper hand in controlling contracts ......
Yaay!
Quite
It should work like it was in the BR Sectorisation era.
www.redbubble.com/i/mask/British-Rail-by-Zaibo/55745887.9G0D8?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campai...
It's a Dutch state owned company let the the Dutch government sort it out, If they don't they lose their operating franchise and goes back into Scottish public ownership at no cost.
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
Our Merch store is now back up and running! 📨📨 Order by 12noon on Friday 18th December to receive in time for Christmas 2020 bringbackbritishrail.org/support ...
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
Good riddance to Britain's franchised railway system, but what comes next? ...
Good riddance to Britain's franchised railway system | Jonn Elledge
www.theguardian.com
The pandemic has finished off an unsustainable system and replaced it with de facto nationalisation. What comes next, asks Jonn Elledge, former assistant editor of the New StatesmanShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Dread to think unaffordable with hs2 copsts though and still running lines around the north at 33MPH
The late Peter Parker made a good joke about privatisation at the time: "There is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are now only 20 people in the country who think rail privatisation is a good idea. The bad news is, it's the Cabinet."
Now we need to fire the grossly overpaid union-busting scum CEOs and board members of the privatised train companies, useless good-for-nothing human rubbish. It'll be good to see them scrambling for private school fees for their upwardly-mobile (in the past) sprogs.
Should supermarkets be nationalised
Agreed, but when, oh when can we say good riddance to The Guardian?
The only real nationalised service would be with a Democratic Socialist Labour Party
The Tories always bail out private companies when they fail overall due to societil reasons, they pump vast amounts of public money in for a few years and make them plump and fat, and sell them back cheap to the market.
What comes next? Under this government they will wait until its profitable again and franchise it back to their mates, obviously.
Glasgow to London = £100. London to Southern France including Eurotunnel =£80. Wtf?
Bloody Thatcher, ---- Should have left well alone .
How much money has been wasted over this time ??? Profiteering while the service got worse and worse - with franchisees- being repeatedly bailed out by successive governments ! Just think what that money would have given us if invested in upgrading railways! Same with every public utility asset sold off 🤬 Who keeps voting for the parasitical tories ??? Country will be completely destroyed after this term 🤬 All post war gains to improve lives fir everyone gone - brexit will be the final nail-in the coffin !
I always found the cheery talking toilets on those Virgin Trains slightly insulting too. Like "we've taken all your money for our shitty sewer smelling trains, now your not even allowed to have a crap in peace"
Bring Back British Rail 1950s style
Since the government likes to make a song and dance of its patriotic credentials, how about a new system with a suitably patriotic name, like say "British Railways"?
Yes give it to your mates who ruin private service companies....you know it makes sense..... Full your boots in dividends. NOT!
Should never had been franchised in the first place
Probably be given to Serco in one piece so they can overcharge and mishandle it like everything else!
But we were told it would be a big success. I wonder who told us that?
It'll just get even more monopolised privitised. British rail provided by g4s. Atleast there is currently a veneer of competition.
I heard that it's been offered to Dido Harding and a fellow Matt Hancock know from down his local pub, apparently they're gonna job share.
An unfranchised system, obviously...
Greed leads to a desert.
Passenger numbers didn’t start increasing at privatisation: they were already on the up following the reorganisation of BR into sectors (Inter-city, Network Southeast, Cross Country, etc). Moreover BR required far less subsidy than the private operators.
Trains where you can get a decent breakfast again?
fir now but soon as this charade is over it'll go back into the hands of pirates and crooks and back to running 1 train an hour with one carriage on the liverpool warrington manchester line
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Bring Back British Rail
2 months ago
Merch store now re-open! 📢 We had to close in March during the first lockdown, but are pleased to announce we're now finally up-and-running again! Support the original passenger-led campaign for a publicly-owned railway 🚉 All proceeds fund Bring Back British Rail materials and activities 👉 bringbackbritishrail.org/support ...
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I'd buy a face mask with the logo on....
Um isn't the logo back to front? Asking for a friend...
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