15 August 2017
We heard today that regulated rail fares will increase by 3.6% in the new year! We commented in the Mirror this morning
"Fares have spiralled out of control and this latest increase is beyond a joke. It’s time to stop giving train companies the green light to rip off passengers. The government needs to step in, freeze fares and start bringing franchises into public ownership. If we stop wasting money on shareholder profits, we can give passengers a better deal."
Yes, the train companies have got away with ripping us off for years. But they’re really pushing their luck with this latest increase. Especially when 60% of us believe in publicly owned rail - and only 1% think privatisation has been a complete success.
And now that Labour has joined the Greens in calling strongly for public ownership – and the SNP is looking at creating a public sector bid for Scotland’s railways – there's some hope! Are we getting nearer to the end of the line for privatised rail?
Research from Transport for Quality of Life suggests we could save at least £1 billion a year by bringing the railway into public ownership. We'd save money by not spending it on shareholder profits - and because a public railway would be more efficient and less fragmented. If all of the savings were used to cut regulated fares, they could be cut by 30%.
We went to the station to talk to passengers about bringing the railway into public ownership...
Comments
John Bostock replied on Permalink
Rail needs to be put back into public ownership.
D.Smith replied on Permalink
The corruption dealt out as fares is tantamount to theft.
How does it cost me £3.90 to travel one way yet a return to the same station costs £4.00 only 10 pence more?
basudeb ghose replied on Permalink
Probably, the actual one-way fare costs £2, but you are charged £3.90 to give more profits to the privileged few shareholders for whom the Tory govt. works; hence the private companies can raise fares without fear of any disapproval by the Ministry. To charge you only 10p extra for the return means £3.90 (single) includes a major part of the return fare. This is only a Theory to be validated after Nationalisation.
sue replied on Permalink
Since privatisation fares keep increasing and services relentlessly deteriorate. Privatisation may work for shareholders but it certainly does nothing at all for passengers. I'm beginning to dread train journeys. The railways really need to be put back into public ownership.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Susan! You are being very silly! Just grow up and be patient! Don't you realise that we all need private companies to run things efficiently for us!
And, of course we need our British tax havens to ensure that they stay in the UK, especially with Brexit! Just be patient! One fine day the money will trickle down back to us!
Don Fraser replied on Permalink
Just when is UK government of any persuasion going to realise that Privatisation means worse service at greater cost to the very people they represent?
john young replied on Permalink
Just for information, Don, the next Labour government is pledged to end the private franchise system and stop large abounts of passengers' money being paid to foreign franchise holders!
Katy Relph replied on Permalink
I flew to Italy and back for £100 but a return ticket from Leeds to London can cost more than twice that! That's insane!
Duncan Clark replied on Permalink
Nationalisation of rail services was a mistake in the first place, like some other ones by a weirdly dogmatic government. Correct it now. We have seen enough to know what we knew then.
Alison Harris replied on Permalink
We live in Harrogate and were promised a new provider at the end of last year . This was to be Arriva ( owned by Deutsche Bahn ) . We has great hopes that some German efficiency would be injected into our ante - diluvian rail service and that we might at long last have some new rolling stock to replace the 'cattle trucks 'which we currently have . No sign of Arriva taking over yet and no explanation from our local MP who knows how disgusted we are with the present arrangements . Bring back British Rail ; it couldn't be worse than what we have now .
Alan Frost replied on Permalink
The quicker we take back the railways into public ownership the better.The Tories privatised railways lines the pockets of their rich and influential friends through fat cat dividends and the French Dutch and Germans get cheaper rail travel as they ply back profits from our railways into theirs.Do me a favour Mr Grayling Go To Hell
Iris Jefferies replied on Permalink
Many privatised railway lines were largely bought back by HM government , who allowed lines to be managed, again under licence. We should insist that as these agreements
end, lines should revert back to public ownership and responsibility as a joined up public service.
Carol Stevens replied on Permalink
True rail does need to be put back into public ownership but so do the bus companies. Privately owned bus companies are terrible, service cuts every few months, routes lengthened and combined so journeys take twice as long and fares going up all the time.
michael bull replied on Permalink
Its a national disgrace. It feels humiliating to be British these days. Shame on you Michael Portillo for the whole privatisation rip off.
Graham Godfrey replied on Permalink
How many Private companies are involved in British Rail?
Mike Hope replied on Permalink
The arrogance, hubris, and avarice of the private rail companies is only matched by their sheer incompetence. All this money (from us as passengers plus the vast subsidies they get from government)and they still can't make it work. We now have a fragmented and run down rail service. A shame and disgrace when compared with rail in most other countries. Time to get the boot, guys! Nationalise railways in the UK now!
Ron Branton replied on Permalink
Our railways should never ever have been privatised and its a national scandal that it ever was. We need to reverse all this stupidity and put transport of railways back into the publics ownership. The problem with our country is they learn nothing from history and we continue whoever is in power to make the same old mistakes of depriving the tax payer of there rights to own our own railways. Governments will always be influenced by greed and not the needs of there people.
Mark Edwards replied on Permalink
meanwhile the roads continue to get busier and busier - its no surprise is it?
JGR replied on Permalink
Absolutely bonkers
William DUDLEY replied on Permalink
I worked on the railway from 1981-2001. I saw the devious ways that led up to privatization. B.R. was allowed to go its own way so as to make privatization look better, however this did not work! West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN)for short. It got so bad that it got the slang name We aint going nowhere!! To me Privatization (Of all the 'Utilities') is good so long as it is FULLY TRANSPARENT and everyone pulls there wait. This includes Managers listening to the employees. There is more I could say but I feel this is enough.
Douglas Mitchell replied on Permalink
This will not happen until we can persuade the great British public that the predominant right wing policies aimed at privatisation, rolling back the state, cutting taxes, minimising public services, maximising the interests of big business and the wealthy, with individualism preferred to community and contempt for ordinary people are wrong and so harmful to the interests of all.
Margherita Colombo replied on Permalink
Railways must be nationalised as they belong to all not to the share holders.
Peter Strong replied on Permalink
What can the public expect from a Tory government? By the way the word Tory means Pursuer/ Robber and they have lived up to the name since May 1979 with the coming of Thatcher and the theft of our Public Sector with the loss of thousands of jobs !
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