Rail network: Should the railway be renationalised?

After years of rising rates of train delays and poor service, would you support the renationalisation of Britain's rail network?

Transcript

00:00How do you find the service on Britain's rail network? Only 62% of trains were on time and

00:06just shy of 5% of services were cancelled entirely, according to data from the last quarter.

00:12The UK also has the most expensive train fare in Europe by far for single tickets bought on the

00:17day. Now, the Labour Party has pledged to re-nationalise the rail network in just five

00:21years if they come to power. In the 90s, the network was privatised. During the pandemic,

00:26the government took control of the railway in England, and a number of operating companies

00:30were handed contracts to run services. In Wales, the devolved government runs passenger services

00:35under Transport for Wales. Under Labour's plans, a new arm's-length body, Great British Railways,

00:40would take over as contracts naturally come to an end. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said

00:45everybody who travels on the trains has been affected by the cancellations and delays.

00:49We have to pick that up and fix it. We can't walk around that problem anymore.

00:53But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the plans were unfunded,

00:57and the damage from the reversal of their trade union legislation could make things worse.

01:02So what do you think of plans to re-nationalise rail?