Lancaster MP backs plans to put railways into public ownership

This comes after Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh MP, announced Labour’s detailed plans to reform Britain’s railways.

Cat Smith MP said: “With massive delays and cancellations, ever rising rip-off prices, threats to ticket offices, broken air conditioning and water systems, mouldy food and poor service, Avanti have reached the end of the line.

“I'm excited to see Labour’s plans to get Britain moving and bring train operating companies back under public control, and hope Avanti are one of the first.”

In recent years rail cancellations have soared to record high levels, fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010, and strikes are costing taxpayers £25m for every day

they go ahead, whilst taxpayers fork out huge subsidies to pay for trains that are overcrowded, delayed, or cancelled.

Labour have pledged to fold existing private passenger rail contracts into Great British Railways as they expire, without the taxpayer paying a penny in compensation costs, as part of a publicly owned and passenger focused railway.

Since 2016 Avanti passengers have faced a huge 506% increase in cancelled services since 2016, and only 37.2% of Avanti’s trains were on time in October-December last year.

This compares to a shocking 61% increase in cancellations across Britain since 2016, with only 62% of services on time in October-December last year.

Ms Smith said: “For too long my constituents have been let down by unreliable and inefficient train services, holding back our local economy, limiting work opportunities, and causing absolute havoc in people’s daily lives.

"That’s why I am supporting Labour’s fantastic new plans to create Great British Railways - a new, publicly owned and expert-led body to run our railways and put the passenger first. “Labour’s plans will mean reliable, safe, efficient, accessible, affordable and quality train services, no matter where you live.”

Louise Haigh, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport said: “Labour will deliver the biggest overhaul in our railways for a generation, ending the deepening crisis and chaos that passengers have been forced to endure in recent years.

“Under Labour, a publicly owned and controlled railway will focus on what matters to passengers.”