PRESS RELEASE

As train fare increases are announced for 2017, campaigners call for public ownership of the railway and urge Network Rail to abandon new privatisation plans that would make this almost impossible.

Network Rail and the government are considering options for selling stations and rail infrastructure - the campaigners say the plans would mean more fragmentation and less income. Publicly owned rail is supported by 66% of the British public. And it has the potential to reduce ever-rising fares by 18%. 

We Own It, which represents train passengers and other public service users, is handing in a petition signed by 16,000 people to Network Rail on Tuesday 16^th August urging them to reconsider the sell-off plans. 

This action comes following a report published earlier this year by We Own It, written by Transport for Quality of Life, which warned against the sell-off plans, suggesting they would lose the publicly owned company £10 billion over ten years.

The Office of Rail and Road has also questioned the policy of selling off commercial property that brings in income for the railway, saying it has not seen any ‘convincing reasons’ for the government’s approach. 

Cat Hobbs, director of We Own It said:

“Passengers are sick of failing franchises, fragmentation and fares rising above inflation every year. We need public ownership to sort out this mess and make taking the train affordable.

Voters across the political spectrum support a publicly-owned railway - it would be more efficient and cheaper for both passengers and taxpayers.

But if Network Rail and the Department for Transport sell off our rail infrastructure we’ll lose out on billions in income – and the chance to get a railway that puts people first. As the government considers its response to the Shaw Report we urge them to stop, look and listen: Stop privatisation, look at the evidence, and listen to the public.” 

Lynn Sloman, director at Transport for Quality of Life and author of the report said: “Selling off bits of our rail network will lose us money and our report shows just how much. Plus, we can’t risk a Humpty Dumpty railway – if the plans go ahead it’ll be almost impossible to put the pieces back together again.”​