Labor promises publicly owned railways – while Conservatives criticize ‘unfunded nationalisation’ | Politics News

Labor will promise to deliver the biggest change to the rail sector “in a generation” by establishing the long-delayed Great British Railways (GBR) organization and bringing routes back into public ownership.

Making the announcement in a speech on Thursday, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh will also commit to establishing a “best price ticket guarantee” for travellers, offering automatic “deferred refund” schemes and making travel tickets available digital season across the network.

But the proposals have been attacked by the Conservatives, who say Labor has no plans to pay for them.

GBR was first proposed in 2021 following a review of the railways, aimed at simplifying the franchise system and rebuilding passenger numbers after they fell sharply during the pandemic.

The proposed public body has promised to take over Network Rail’s responsibility for tracks and stations, as well as taking charge of ticketing, timetables and network planning.

But despite receiving support from Boris Johnson and his ministers, its creation has faced continuous delays and the organization has yet to see the light of day.

Labor is now committing to getting the GBR up and running if it wins the next election, with some additional promises of its own.

The party said the body, which would be run by industry experts rather than government officials, would end “fragmentation, waste [and] bureaucracy” of the current network.

And it would “prevent profits from leaking to private operators” by taking over passenger lines when franchises ran out – eventually leading to the entire passenger network becoming publicly owned.

Labor said this method would avoid taxpayers having to cover any compensation to operators that would be due if they immediately renationalised the railways.

The party has also committed to creating a new independent watchdog called the Passenger Standards Authority to ensure the GBR maintains its standards.

And it has committed to introducing a legal duty on the GBR to promote the use of rail freight – still owned by private companies – to reduce carbon emissions and reduce truck traffic.

Ms Haigh said: “With Labour’s bold reforms, a publicly owned railway will be solely focused on delivering to passengers and will be held accountable for providing reliable, safe, efficient, accessible, affordable and quality services.

“Labour’s detailed plans will get our railways back on track; raising standards for passengers, reducing costs for taxpayers, boosting growth and getting Britain moving.”

The proposals won the support of Keith Williams – one of the experts behind the rail review – who recommended the creation of the GBR three years ago.

He said its creation would “provide a better railway for passengers and freight”, adding: “Running a better railway and generating revenue and reducing costs will provide economic growth, jobs and housing, providing better connectivity.”

But Conservative rail transport minister Huw Merriman attacked Labour’s plans as “a pointless, unfunded rail nationalization that will do nothing to improve train reliability or accessibility for passengers”, adding: “Without a plan to pay for This means one thing – taxes will increase.” in hard-working people.”

His criticism was backed by Rail Partners chief executive Andy Bagnall – representing private operators – who said that while rail companies “agree that change is necessary… nationalization is a political rather than a practical solution that will increase costs over time”.