National(ised) Express is an opportunity for a new era

Following this morning’s announcement that the East Coast Main Line will be taken into temporary public ownership, the Scottish Greens urged the UK Government to go further and to start the reintegration of the whole network on a not-for-profit basis.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“I’d urge Lord Adonis, who appears to be the first Transport Minister for years to be genuinely pro-railway, to see this as an opportunity for a new era, not a short term burden for the public sector. A substantial public stake in the railways could lead to simpler ticketing, cheaper fares, and passengers’ interests going to the top of the agenda.

“The privatisation and fragmentation of Britain’s railways has never been popular, economic, or sustainable. This country has suffered through a sixteen-year experiment in market dogma, an experiment which has failed. Rail travel has a vital and growing role to play in tackling the rise of domestic flights, and a not-for-profit network will be far better placed to deliver. Labour have nothing to fear from doing the right thing here.”