Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has today welcomed government plans to bring South Western Railway into public ownership next year.
In his previous role as Shadow Rail Minister, Mr Morgan played a leading role in announcing Labour’s bold reforms to deliver better, more reliable rail services for passengers by bringing train operators into public ownership.
The Government announced the news today which will overhaul the rail network and put passengers first.
The move comes just days after the Government’s first major piece of legislation, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, received Royal Assent, paving the way for a major shake-up of Britain’s railways.
The transition to a publicly owned railway will drive up reliability and clamp down on unacceptable levels of delays, cancellations and waste seen under decades of failing franchise contracts.
It will save up to £150 million a year in fees alone by ensuring every penny is spent on services rather than private shareholders.
Today’s announcement will see services across a wide area of southern England and East Anglia come back into public control by Autumn 2025, benefitting residents in Portsmouth.
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“This is very welcome news for Portsmouth people. For too long, passengers have been let down by unreliable services and the change needed was nothing short of fundamental.
“In my previous role as Shadow Rail Minister, I was delighted to play my part in creating these bold reforms to deliver better, more reliable rail services for passengers.
“Today’s announcement shows we are serious and on our way to reversing the mess that the previous Government left things in.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:
“For too long, the British public have had to put up with rail services which simply don’t work. A complex system of private train operators has too often failed its users.
“Starting with journeys on South Western Railway, we’re switching tracks by bringing services back under public control to create a reliable rail network that puts customers first.
“Our broken railways are finally on the fast track to repair and rebuilding a system that the British public can trust and be proud of again.”
Meanwhile, the Government has already made major strides towards improving performance and services for passengers.
Since July, Labour has brought an end to long-running national industrial disputes, and LNER cancellations due to a lack of driver resource have dropped to near zero.
There are also plans underway to display performance information at stations – allowing the public to hold the rail leaders to account for delivery.
