Earlier this week (24th April) the Labour party – which is widely expected to win the UK’s next general election - announced that one of its first major acts in government will be to begin the process of renationalising UK passenger rail.
Under Labour’s plans, announced by the shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, all passenger rail services will be bought into national ownership under as contracts with private operators come to an end.
The plans will see the establishment of a new operator - Great British Railways - as well as a new watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority, whose job will be to scrutinise the system, and hold it to account.
Labour claims that ditching the current franchise network and ensuring the UK’s passenger rail services are more joined up will lead to significant improvements across the network and save as much as £2.2billion per year.
Whilst the move is unlikely to make rail travel cheaper, Labour has committed to a “best price ticket guarantee”, which will ensure that travelers are automatically offered the cheapest fare for their journey.
The plan has been relatively well received across the political spectrum and also by many in the rail industry although unsurprisingly it’s not gone down particularly well with the private train operators.
In this week’s poll we’re asking for your view on the proposal, so as always please cast your vote below and expand on your thoughts in the comments box below the line. We look forward to hearing your views.
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