Nancy Platts, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven at the next general election is calling for a new rail policy to improve services and control rail fares.
Nancy spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier this week following the publication of a letter from over 30 Prospective Parliamentry Candidates in the Observer last weekend calling for a bold policy to improve services and control fares.
She said: “People in Brighton tell me they don’t understand how train companies can walk away with £300m of profits every year whilst they pay around £4,000 for an annual season ticket. I think these profits would be better spent bringing fares down for passengers and we can secure this money by bringing rail franchises back into the public sector as they expire. £70m going back into the system could take 1% off fares for passengers.
“People are already struggling with rising prices and stagnant wages, a policy to reduce rail fares by bringing the railway franchises back into public ownership would help people out who are struggling with the cost of living.
“The East Coast Mainline has shown that a railway run by the public sector can save money for the taxpayer. It has made profits of more than £50m since 2009 and that has been returned to the taxpayer”.
She added: “This policy would fit in perfectly with Labour’s wider offer to reduce the cost of living and put money back in people’s pockets, the freeze on energy bills until 2017, controlling rent increases in the private rented sector and 25 hours free childcare – this would be a welcome addition to that cost of living offer.”
An Opinium/Observer poll on the future of rail shows that more than three times as many people back some form of renationalisation of rail services (55%) with (18%) opposing it.
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