Emma has sponsored Labour MP Andy Sawford’s Bill to allow privatised railways to be returned to the public sector.
The Railways (Public Sector Operators) Bill would allow the public sector to bid for railway franchises alongside private companies. This would allow these franchises to be renationalised if the public sector could demonstrate it was the most efficient operator.
The Bill has the full backing of Labour’s Transport Secretary Mary Creagh MP and other Labour MPs. Thanks to their support Parliament voted in favour of the Bill, which will now move on to the next stage of debate.
Ed Miliband has pledged that a Labour government in 2015 would allow rail franchises to be returned to public control.
As Labour has pointed out, the only franchise currently under public control is the most financially successful and has the highest rates of customer satisfaction.
The East Coast Main Line is run by Directly Operated Railways, after the failure of the private operator National Express. Since DOR took over in 2009 the line’s fortunes have turned around, and it has now returned £800m to the taxpayer to be reinvested in improvements to the rail network.
The Bill Emma backed today would allow that success to be replicated across the whole rail network, improving services and getting better value for taxpayers’ money.
Emma said:
“I was pleased to be able to vote for Andy’s Bill today. The East Coast Main Line has showed that the public sector can deliver a great service for passengers, and I want to see that same great service across the country.
“The Tories won’t allow the public sector to run our railways even when the evidence says they do a better job. A Labour government would allow railways back into public ownership to deliver a better deal for passengers and taxpayers.”