NEWS STORY : Labour Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander Announces That Nationalisation of Rail Won’t Cut Fares

STORY

Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, has said that it was untrue that nationalisation of rail would cut fares and has confirmed there are no plans to reduce fares. The shock announcement from the Transport Secretary has led to questions as to the integrity of the process as Labour politicians had claimed that privatisation had increased fares, meaning that nationalisation would mean reductions. Rail usage has soared over the previous two decades with record investment and Alexander has pledged to cut delays on the network. Alexander also confirmed that rail prices will still increase by 4.6% in the new year and she had no plans to reduce the increase.

Andy Bagnall, the Chief Executive of Rail Partners, said in a statement:

“Simply changing who runs the trains won’t deliver more reliable and affordable services for passengers, reduce subsidy for taxpayers, or grow rail freight”.