RMT renews demands for all rail services to be renationalised on the day the Government extends its public ownership of Northern Trains.
RAIL UNION RMT today renewed its demands for all rail services to be taken into public ownership after the public owned Operator of Last Resort (OLR) was given a 5 year extension to its running of Northern.
On the same day that Government increased regulated fares by 2.6% and RMT published research that shows private train operating and rolling stock companies’ profits from last year stand to be equivalent to 15 pence of every pound passengers paid on fares during the same period.
The union is demanding an end, once and for all to the rail privatisation shambles to allow all revenue profit to be reinvested in improving the rail network for passengers and ensuring a fair deal for rail workers.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“This announcement to keep Northern public is good news and something that RMT has been campaigning on for many years after repeated failures by the previous privatised operators.
“Make no mistake that this announcement is also a colossal admission of the failure of privatised railways by the Government.
“Privatised rail operators that cream huge profits out of our railways whilst operating a substandard service have no place in running our railways when looking to the post Covid-19 recovery and to fight the climate emergency we need a functional and publicly owned railway more than ever.”
Photo credit: RMT / Northern
