Rebuilding rail

The UK's privatised railway is failing society, the economy and the environment, whilst draining taxpayers' money into the pockets of private shareholders. Common sense and expert railway knowledge have ceded to a misguided private-must-bebest ethos, leaving Britain with a fragmented dysfunctional railway system that other countries view with disbelief. This paper outlines a different recipe for reform. It shows that over one billion pounds of taxpayers' money could be saved every year by reuniting the railways under public ownership. All the public money invested in the railway could then be put to good use, delivering a better service for passengers while also achieving wider environmental and social goals.