Trains at Cheltenham Spa station
Trains at Cheltenham Spa station

Our railways are essential to transporting people and goods around the country and connecting all parts of our economy.

Everyone you speak to agrees that we need a modern rail system to serve as the backbone of a modern Britain. But to achieve that, we need improved services for passengers and better value for money for taxpayers.

The current reality, however, is that 30 years of privatisation have left Britain’s railways in a deepening crisis. They suffer from underinvestment, fragmentation, inefficiency, waste, and a lack of direction. For the last 14 years the Conservative Government had no commitment to providing an efficient and modern rail network that met the needs of people from all walks of life across the length and breadth of the nation.

As a result, passengers have had to endure the grim, daily reality of rising prices and late, overcrowded, and in many cases, cancelled services. Relying on the train frequently means being late for work or late home, missing meetings and appointments, or being stranded at stations in the middle of the night. Many have resorted to travelling by car instead, which adds to all the problems of our roads.

It has meant people cannot pursue jobs or educational opportunities, or miss spending time with friends and family because they cannot trust trains to get them there and back.
It does not have to be this way. Labour believes Britain’s railways should be a source of pride, not exasperation. Labour is committed to creating a unified and simplified way of running the railways that puts passengers at the heart of the objectives and incentives of our railway network, placing train operators under public ownership and control.

But alongside delivering value for money for the taxpayer, we will restore trust in the way our railways are led and managed to ensure that all rail workers are treated with dignity and respect.

To achieve these goals, Labour is establishing a new, arm’s length public body – Great British Railways – to be in charge of Britain’s railway infrastructure and services. This will be responsible for the day-to-day operational delivery of the railways, ensuring infrastructure and services work together, and for innovations and improvements for both passengers and freight.

Alongside Great British Railways will be a powerful new passenger watchdog – the Passenger Standards Authority – that will independently monitor and measure performance against standards, and champion better services for travellers across the rail network.

Labour believes that the time for dithering and delay is over. It is now time to make the long overdue reforms of our railways a reality for passengers.
It’s time to get our railway network back on track under a new Labour government.

Clive Harriss,

Vice-Chair Membership, Cheltenham Labour Party

This article was first published on January 10th in the The Cheltenham Post
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