The Labour leader needs to stop counting the cost of properly investing in railways – and instead see the costs of not doing so

• Dr Tom Haines-Doran is the author of Derailed: How to Fix Britain’s Broken Railways

Is there any hope for Britain’s beleaguered rail passengers? We have some of the highest fares in Europe , industrial relations are at an all-time low , and cancellations and delays bedevil the network. Britain’s railways are fractured, rudderless and without clear purpose or plan.

With an election looming in which Labour is the clear frontrunner, passengers have been eagerly awaiting the party’s proposals. Its Getting Britain Moving plan was finally released on Thursday, promising to fix Britain’s broken railways and “usher in a decade of growth, innovation and service improvement” through a series of reforms.

Tom Haines-Doran is a policy fellow based at the University of Leeds and the author of Derailed: How to Fix Britain’s Broken Railways

Il y a du nouveau pour le RER A : la ligne bénéficie depuis janvier d'un nouveau centre de gestion. Gérée de concert par la RATP et la SNCF, la ligne s'est équipée pour mieux répondre aux problèmes quotidiens, à la veille des JO.

Train services are essential to the health of the economy, society and environment. These proposals are pragmatic and welcome

Failing train services in Britain have often been the butt of jokes, but the chaos is not funny to those who rely on them. For many in the north of England in particular, frustration has given way to despair . Railways are a public good that the public are turning away from.

The pandemic’s long-term impact on working patterns may be the chief culprit for slashed traveller numbers . But it is unsurprising that former passengers are declining to come back. Many are concluding that late and cancelled trains, dirty and overcrowded carriages, and broken toilets make journeys too unpredictable or unpleasant, and are driving, flying or staying put instead. In the last quarter of 2024, a record 4.87% of trains were cancelled. Fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010.

Party plans to nationalise network and ‘unlock the trapped potential’ of rail to drive economic growth across the country

• UK politics – latest updates

Britain’s railways have become a “symbol of national decline” under the Conservatives, the shadow transport secretary has said, announcing Labour’s plans to nationalise the rail network within five years in government.

In a speech at Trainline headquarters on Thursday, Louise Haigh said “today’s broken model simply doesn’t work”, with train cancellations at a record high and fares having risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010.

Party pledges to bring all passenger rail – but not rolling stock – into public ownership as contracts with train operators expire

Labour will fully nationalise the train network within five years of coming to power, with a pledge to guarantee the cheapest fares as part of “the biggest reform of our railways for a generation”.

One of Labour’s first major acts in government will bring all passenger rail into national ownership under Great British Railways as contracts with private operators expire, a plan endorsed by the architect of the Conservatives’ own rail plan.

Renationalisation announced by shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, comes as most network contracts near expiry

This is one renationalisation that even an ultra-cautious Labour had to embrace: voters like it, there is no upfront outlay, and the Conservative government has already done most of the work to get there.

The rail plans announced by shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, will confirm the longstanding Labour policy of taking national rail operations back into public ownership as contracts expire. Now, though, that appears to be an imminent reality, as all contracts are expected to lapse within four years of the coming election.

Il faudra payer pour voyager dans les transports en commun d'Île-de-France durant les JO 2024. Mais, combien coûtera le ticket de métro, de RER ou le passe Navigo ?

Record sum follows almost 320,000 train services being cancelled or part cancelled in past year in Britain

• Business live – latest updates

Compensation paid to passengers for train delays in Britain has reached record levels, with annual payouts surpassing £100m and the number of claims for delayed or cancelled trains continuing to grow.

Payouts to passengers for disrupted journeys reached £101.3m in the year to April 2023 – up by 155% from £39m in 2021-22 .

Hundreds of cut-price, sustainable intercity journeys are on special offer this week for trips across England, Scotland and Wales

A transport company is offering £2 tickets for coach trips across the UK to be taken up to May 12. With a £1 service fee, that means travellers planning journeys can book long-distance tickets from £3 on the FlixBus website or app.

In England there is a government-backed scheme capping local bus tickets at £2 until December 2024, but this offer opens up longer routes and also applies to journeys into and around Wales and Scotland, where the £2 cap doesn’t exist. So, if you fancy a trip through the blossoming valleys from Bristol to Swansea, or from Glasgow to Inverness via the Cairngorms, now is the time to book. The deal is available until Sunday 21 April.