Whether or not nationalisation is the answer, there are serious questions about the health of Britain's railways
7 years, 2 months ago

Whether or not nationalisation is the answer, there are serious questions about the health of Britain's railways

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Nevertheless, it is also the case that users of Britain’s railways are travelling in trains that are, on average, older than at any time since available records began. It has also used the opportunity to call on the Government to match its policy commitment to return Britain’s railways to public ownership, rather than “persist with a failed model of privatisation that is punishing passengers”. Many have no option but to use trains on a daily basis and will have to do the best they can to soak up the latest fares rise – just as they do their best to overcome the delays, the overcrowded carriages and the other frequent irritants that are part and parcel of travelling on trains in modern Britain.

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History of this topic

Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolution
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolution

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ms Hockley’s sensible question usually gets a stock answer: the railways cost a fixed amount to run, roughly £25bn a …

How can Britain’s railways be improved for commuters? Join The Independent Debate
4 weeks ago

How can Britain’s railways be improved for commuters? Join The Independent Debate

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail fares in Britain are among the highest in Europe, and with a 4.6 per cent …

Rail strikes, fare rises and broken signals: Why train passengers nationwide facing continued misery this year
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Rail strikes, fare rises and broken signals: Why train passengers nationwide facing continued misery this year

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery A combination of toxic industrial relations, widespread infrastructure failures and repeated line closures could undermine travellers’ …

Rail: ‘This is where we are, but it is definitely not where anybody wants to be’
2 months ago

Rail: ‘This is where we are, but it is definitely not where anybody wants to be’

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. What you want is for people to think, ‘How do we get this fixed?’ “This railway has to get into …

Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The analysis of 27 European operators found that “travelling by rail in the UK is particularly costly”, adding that high …

What will nationalisation mean for Britain’s rail network and passengers?
3 months, 3 weeks ago

What will nationalisation mean for Britain’s rail network and passengers?

The Independent  

The rather dry-sounding Passenger Railway Services Act 2024 has received royal assent and is thus now law. Given the state of the public finances, there seems little chance that rail users will see the magic combination of lower fares, higher investment and improved services. The Tories were extremely reluctant, naturally, to have to bring train operations back into public ownership …

Trains can only get better, says the government – let’s see
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Trains can only get better, says the government – let’s see

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Starting with journeys on South Western Railway, we’re switching tracks by bringing services back under public control to create a …

How would Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways work?
8 months, 1 week ago

How would Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways work?

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} King Charles made …

Rail strikes chaos brings Britain's creaking train lines to a halt - with commuters battling rush-hour travel hell as militant union stages fresh wave of walkouts amid pay row
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Rail strikes chaos brings Britain's creaking train lines to a halt - with commuters battling rush-hour travel hell as militant union stages fresh wave of walkouts amid pay row

Daily Mail  

Commuters are facing rush-hour travel hell today as rail services on some of the busiest commuter routes in the country will be hit by fresh strikes in long-running pay dispute. Greater Anglia Most routes will have no service on Tuesday, but there will be a reduced service on a small number of key routes into London for fewer hours of …

Labour fails to rule out fare rises under rail nationalisation plan
11 months ago

Labour fails to rule out fare rises under rail nationalisation plan

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The shadow transport secretary has failed to rule out that fares …

Labour pledge to renationalise railways within five years
11 months ago

Labour pledge to renationalise railways within five years

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour will pledge to renationalise the railways if elected, in what …

Train fares: everyone knows they’re wrong, but no government is brave enough to fix them
1 year ago

Train fares: everyone knows they’re wrong, but no government is brave enough to fix them

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The general secretary of the biggest rail union, Mick Lynch, called the rise a “slap in the face” for travellers, …

Trains could be TWICE as busy by 2050 despite rise of WFH after Covid - as passengers say current conditions on some lines are already 'unbearable'
1 year, 1 month ago

Trains could be TWICE as busy by 2050 despite rise of WFH after Covid - as passengers say current conditions on some lines are already 'unbearable'

Daily Mail  

Trains could be twice as busy by 2050 despite the rise of working from home - as passengers say current conditions on some lines are already 'unbearable' with rail firms failing to provide enough carriages. Passengers aboard a packed Chiltern Trains service where a boy collapsed on the floor Passengers missed the first Chiltern Railways service to London this morning, …

Network Rail blames 'climate change' for problems on Britain's railways: Bosses say the frequency of severe weather events like Storm Isha is having a 'significant impact' on ageing rail infrastructur
1 year, 2 months ago

Network Rail blames 'climate change' for problems on Britain's railways: Bosses say the frequency of severe weather events like Storm Isha is having a 'significant impact' on ageing rail infrastructur

Daily Mail  

Britain's ageing rail infrastructure is facing a major crisis due to climate change as many of its Victorian-era structures reach the 'end of life', Network Rail has warned. A fallen tree at Arrochar & Tarbet station on the West Highland Line yesterday after the storm A tree that fell onto the overhead wires at Whitecraigs station in Scotland yesterday Repairs …

Status of major rail reforms labelled ‘staggering admission of failure’
1 year, 4 months ago

Status of major rail reforms labelled ‘staggering admission of failure’

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The establishment of Great British Railways, first proposed in May 2021, was included in a draft Rail Reform Bill in …

UK trains disrupted again as workers stage fresh strikes
2 years, 2 months ago

UK trains disrupted again as workers stage fresh strikes

Associated Press  

LONDON — Commuters returning to work on Tuesday after the Christmas break were advised not to travel as tens of thousands of British rail workers stage a fresh round of strikes that will disrupt services all week. Transport Secretary Mark Harper urged union leaders to come to the negotiating table and said the government has offered a “very fair pay …

Not a way to run a railway: the lunacy of trains in the UK
2 years, 3 months ago

Not a way to run a railway: the lunacy of trains in the UK

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel …

Creation of Great British Railways delayed
2 years, 5 months ago

Creation of Great British Railways delayed

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. We have lost the opportunity to have that in …

Just 1 in 5 trains to be left running as rail workers begin days of strikes
2 years, 7 months ago

Just 1 in 5 trains to be left running as rail workers begin days of strikes

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Just one in five trains across Great Britain are expected to …

UK rail strike: Train stations sit empty as Britons choose to work from home
2 years, 8 months ago

UK rail strike: Train stations sit empty as Britons choose to work from home

Daily Mail  

Train stations across Britain were left deserted today as commuters chose to work from home during the rail strikes and experts said industrial action was becoming less effective - despite it crippling services again. GLASGOW: Passengers make their way through Glasgow Central station this morning amid the nationwide RMT strike LONDON WATERLOO: People read an electronic board at London Waterloo …

Union warns of ‘summer of discontent’ on trains as pay fails to rise with inflation
2 years, 10 months ago

Union warns of ‘summer of discontent’ on trains as pay fails to rise with inflation

The Independent  

Rail workers could trigger “a summer of discontent” across Britain unless pay rises match inflation, a union boss has warned. “If the Department for Transport, train operating companies and Network Rail don’t come forward very soon with proposed pay increases, which at least match inflation, a summer of discontent is on the way across our railways.” As well as a …

Major changes to the UK’s rail timetables come into effect on Sunday
2 years, 10 months ago

Major changes to the UK’s rail timetables come into effect on Sunday

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “Huge cuts to rail services will hit communities across the North,” Labour’s transport spokesperson, Louise Haigh, …

Five years on, rail passengers are still waiting for ticket improvements
3 years, 3 months ago

Five years on, rail passengers are still waiting for ticket improvements

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Rail passengers must be able to trust that they are getting the best possible deal every time they travel.” The …

Great British Railways: How will new public sector body’s train network reforms work?
3 years, 10 months ago

Great British Railways: How will new public sector body’s train network reforms work?

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. With the future looking even more challenging, the review has been modified and has been reborn as the Williams-Shapps Plan …

British Rail is back, sort of, as government tries to bring 24 years of rail chaos to a close
3 years, 10 months ago

British Rail is back, sort of, as government tries to bring 24 years of rail chaos to a close

The Independent  

Welcome back British Rail! British Rail, sorry, Great British Railways, will be a state-owned entity that will set the timetables, oversee prices, look after the infrastructure and sell the tickets centrally. There was even a time when French and German rail passengers had their super-efficient travel subsidised by profits their train-operating companies made from Britain’s shabby system. But the “Great” …

Great British Railways: What powers will the new body have and will it cure our love-hate relationship with rail?
3 years, 10 months ago

Great British Railways: What powers will the new body have and will it cure our love-hate relationship with rail?

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The present system …

Union threatens strike as Londoners pack trains and buses after coronavirus lockdown loosens
4 years, 10 months ago

Union threatens strike as Londoners pack trains and buses after coronavirus lockdown loosens

ABC  

Rail unions in England have threatened to stop train services in order to protect workers and passengers after commuters crammed into public transport across London on the first day of eased coronavirus measures. Key points: Many in England returned to work on Wednesday after lockdown restrictions were eased for the first time since March 23 Many ignored the Government's calls …

Wales has found an answer to England's soaring train fares
5 years, 2 months ago

Wales has found an answer to England's soaring train fares

Wired  

Getty Images / WIRED Every January rail fares in the UK get more expensive. But this year Wales has done what the rest of the UK rail has found impossible: instead of hiking prices, it slashed the cost of train tickets by up to ten per cent. Wales has notoriously poor rail infrastructure – you can’t get from north to …

UK commuters face further rail fare rise
5 years, 2 months ago

UK commuters face further rail fare rise

Al Jazeera  

Rail passengers in the United Kingdom face “another decade of misery”, with some long-distance commuters seeing the annual cost of getting to work increase by more than 100 pounds. “How on earth is the government going to meet its climate commitments by pricing people off environmentally friendly trains and on to our polluted and congested roads?” Network Rail data shows …

Do EU rules stop Britain re-nationalising its railways? It depends what you mean by 'nationalise'
5 years, 9 months ago

Do EU rules stop Britain re-nationalising its railways? It depends what you mean by 'nationalise'

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The suggestion that EU state aid rules would prevent you from subsidising these companies is …

Millions of commuters will have to pay extra £100 a year
6 years, 4 months ago

Millions of commuters will have to pay extra £100 a year

Daily Mail  

Britain's rail fares will increase by an average of 3.1 per cent on January 2, industry body the Rail Delivery Group announced today. The rise in fares comes despite commuters consistently complaining of delays across the country this year Just last week passengers had to queue on a bridge before being allowed onto platforms at Clapham Junction after over-running engineering …

Privatising Britain’s railways cost taxpayers £5bn per year and increased fares, Labour claims
6 years, 4 months ago

Privatising Britain’s railways cost taxpayers £5bn per year and increased fares, Labour claims

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The 'catastrophic' privatisation of Britain’s railways has cost the taxpayer £5bn …

Protests planned across the country as biggest rail fare rise in five years comes into effect
7 years, 2 months ago

Protests planned across the country as biggest rail fare rise in five years comes into effect

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Dozens of demonstrations will take place across the country on …

The Labour Party's renationalisation solution to failing rail franchises risks returning to a golden age of British Rail that never was
8 years, 1 month ago

The Labour Party's renationalisation solution to failing rail franchises risks returning to a golden age of British Rail that never was

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, was …

Rail fares are on the rise again but passenger interests are left in siding
8 years, 3 months ago

Rail fares are on the rise again but passenger interests are left in siding

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Great news for rail passengers …

Britain's railways doing well despite privatisation
9 years, 1 month ago

Britain's railways doing well despite privatisation

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Chiltern Railways, which was judged best rail operator in the …

Rail fares 'increasingly divorced from reality' as prices go up 1.1% for new year
9 years, 2 months ago

Rail fares 'increasingly divorced from reality' as prices go up 1.1% for new year

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail passengers face a fresh round of fare increases today, …

Steamed up over rising train fares? Don't be, because the networks need the money
11 years, 2 months ago

Steamed up over rising train fares? Don't be, because the networks need the money

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We always pay more but they never seem to spend any money on the …

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