Campaign to Bring Back British Rail
{{short description|Advocacy group for Transport and Public ownership, based in the United Kingdom}}
{{use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Bring Back British Rail
| image = Bring Back British Rail logo.jpg
| type = Transport campaign group
| founded_date = {{start date and age|2009}}
| vat_id =
| registration_id =
| founder = Ellie Harrison{{Cite web|url=https://www.ellieharrison.com/bringbackbritishrail/|title=Bring Back British Rail|date=30 July 2009 }}
| location = Glasgow, Scotland
London, England
| coordinates =
| origins =
| key_people = Ellie Harrison
| area_served = United Kingdom
| product = campaigning, lobbying, media, research
| focus = Transport
Public ownership
Consumer rights
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| num_members = 150,000 (supporters)
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| homepage = [https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org www.bringbackbritishrail.org]
| dissolved =
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}}
The Campaign to Bring Back British Rail is a pressure group in the United Kingdom whose objective is the renationalisation of the British Rail network, which was privatised in the 1990s.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/03/rail-passengers-to-stage-station-protests-against-fare-increases|title= Rail passengers to stage station protests against fare increases|newspaper=The Guardian|first= Nicola|last=Slawson |date= 3 January 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/6257 |title=Rail campaigners stage train fares protest at Waterloo |publisher = London SE1 |date=14 August 2012}} In addition to its representation of ordinary passengers, on whose behalf it campaigns for improvements to rail services, it undertakes research for the purpose of lobbying political parties towards the ends of reintroducing a vertically-integrated, publicly owned and operated British railway network. It has over 150,000 supporters UK wide, accumulated since it was founded in 2009, and is managed from two hubs - in Glasgow and London.{{Official website|http://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/}}
Renationalisation
The franchising system was overhauled during the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a collapse in passenger numbers. The system was effectively renationalised briefly to prevent rail companies collapsing, as acknowledged by the ONS at the time.{{cite web |url=https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/66334/uk-rail-effectively-renationalised-during-pandemic/ |title=UK rail effectively 'renationalised' during pandemic |date=3 August 2020 }} Several train operating companies were brought under state control from 2020 onwards as an operators of last resort including Caledonian Sleeper, LNER, Northern, ScotRail, Southeastern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales.[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/rail-nationalisation-trains-who-owns-labour-party-keir-starmer-b1028349.html What does rail nationalisation mean and who owns UK railways?] Evening Standard 11 May 2023 The Labour Party committed itself to a formal renationalisation of the rail network following their victory in the 2024 general election.[https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20579678.keir-starmer-commits-labour-rail-nationalisation/ Keir Starmer commits Labour to rail nationalisation] The Herald 27 July 2022 The King's speech in July 2024 described a new public body for the purpose named Great British Railways.{{cite web |title=Key points in King's Speech at a glance |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51y7pqy1v3o |website=BBC News |date=15 July 2024}} Renationalisation is to be achieved simply by not renewing the remaining franchising arrangements as they expire, which is expected to take place over the following years.{{cite web |last1=Topham |first1=Gwyn |title=Unions hail UK's rail renationalisation bills as a return to 'public service' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/17/unions-hail-uks-rail-renationalisation-bills-as-a-return-to-public-service#:~:text=Labour%20will%20renationalise%20rail%20with,Great%20British%20Railways%20(GBR). |website=The Guardian |date=17 July 2024}} The policy was celebrated by the Campaign to Bring Back British Rail.{{cite web |url=https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/2024/06/great-british-railways/ |title=Great British Railways - a new publicly-owned system |date=13 June 2024 }}
Public opinion
A 2012 poll showed that 70% of voters want a re-nationalisation of the railways, while only 23% supported continued privatisation.{{cite web|url=http://www.globalrailnews.com/2012/09/13/70-want-end-to-rail-privatisation/|title=70% want end to rail privatisation|date=13 September 2012|website=Global Rail News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716203326/http://www.globalrailnews.com/2012/09/13/70-want-end-to-rail-privatisation/|archive-date=16 July 2014|url-status=dead}} According to a 2013 YouGov poll, 66% of the public support bringing the railways into public ownership.{{cite web|url=http://yougov.co.uk/news/2013/11/04/nationalise-energy-and-rail-companies-say-public/|title=Nationalise energy and rail companies, say public|last=Dahlgreen|first=Will|date=4 November 2013|website=YouGov}} According to the Office of Rail and Road, as of 2016 there was 62% support for public ownership of train-operating companies.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britains-railways-doing-well-despite-privatisation-a6843966.html|title=Britain's railways are doing well despite privatisation|last=Calder|first=Simon|date=30 January 2016|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-01-31|website=The Independent}} A poll of 1,500 adults in Britain in June 2018 showed 64% support renationalising Britain's railways, 19% would oppose renationalisation and 17% did not know.{{cite web |url= https://fullfact.org/economy/do-public-want-railways-renationalised/ |title= Do the public want the railways renationalised? |date= 14 June 2018 |website=Full Fact|access-date= 15 August 2019}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/ Official website]
{{British Rail}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Organizations established in 2009
Category:Rail transport in Great Britain