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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| South Western Railway to be renationalised by Labour | South Western Railway to be renationalised by Labour |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| South Western Railway will be the first rail operator renationalised by the Labour government after it passed a law last week. | South Western Railway will be the first rail operator renationalised by the Labour government after it passed a law last week. |
| Labour has pledged to renationalise rail services as operator franchises come to an end, and South Western's contract finishes in May 2025. | Labour has pledged to renationalise rail services as operator franchises come to an end, and South Western's contract finishes in May 2025. |
| Control of the railway will be handed to the operator of last resort, the body which runs renationalised rail services, the Financial Times first reported, external. | Control of the railway will be handed to the operator of last resort, the body which runs renationalised rail services, the Financial Times first reported, external. |
| Some have criticised Labour's plans, arguing that public ownership is unlikely to make much difference unless it is paired with investment in the railways. | Some have criticised Labour's plans, arguing that public ownership is unlikely to make much difference unless it is paired with investment in the railways. |
| The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, which passed last week, allows the government to take rail contracts back into public ownership. | The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, which passed last week, allows the government to take rail contracts back into public ownership. |
| The government plans to set up a new arms length body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take over service contracts currently held by private firms as they expire in the coming years. | The government plans to set up a new arms length body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take over service contracts currently held by private firms as they expire in the coming years. |
| It also eventually wants GBR to take over responsibility for maintaining and improving rail infrastructure from Network Rail. | |
| Fares and reliability | Fares and reliability |
| Responsibility for running train services was handed to private companies during the 1990s, and since then there has been a boom in rail usage. | Responsibility for running train services was handed to private companies during the 1990s, and since then there has been a boom in rail usage. |
| But a number have faced criticism over fares and reliability, with critics saying privatisation has led to an inefficient and fragmented system. | But a number have faced criticism over fares and reliability, with critics saying privatisation has led to an inefficient and fragmented system. |
| Labour made it a manifesto pledge to renationalise most rail services within five years. | Labour made it a manifesto pledge to renationalise most rail services within five years. |
| During the coronavirus pandemic, the government in effect took control of the railways. | During the coronavirus pandemic, the government in effect took control of the railways. |
| Most train companies in England moved onto contracts where they get a fixed fee to run services, and the taxpayer carries the financial risk. | Most train companies in England moved onto contracts where they get a fixed fee to run services, and the taxpayer carries the financial risk. |
| Four major operators - East Coast Mainline, TransPennine, Northern and South Eastern - have been taken under public control and are being run by the government's operator of last resort. | Four major operators - East Coast Mainline, TransPennine, Northern and South Eastern - have been taken under public control and are being run by the government's operator of last resort. |
| Transport for Wales was brought under Welsh Government control in 2021, and Scotrail was taken over by the Scottish Government the following year. | Transport for Wales was brought under Welsh Government control in 2021, and Scotrail was taken over by the Scottish Government the following year. |
| South Western Railway has more than 1,500 services scheduled to run per weekday in south west London and the south of England. | South Western Railway has more than 1,500 services scheduled to run per weekday in south west London and the south of England. |
| It operates across a huge area of southern England and is a key commuter service into London. | It operates across a huge area of southern England and is a key commuter service into London. |