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

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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

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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.

The latest call by the RAC to reinstate emergency lanes should be listened to and acted upon

Ten years ago this week on the M25, Britain’s first stretch of all-lane running (ALR) “smart” motorway was introduced , with more to follow. Envisaged as a way to ease congestion without spending money on widening roads, ALR motorways function without a hard shoulder for drivers in difficulty. As they were rolled out, motorists were assured that the emergency lane would not be missed, as new technologies would be able to respond to breakdowns, and control traffic flow.

The public was understandably sceptical about how smart this idea was, and it turned out the public was right. Smart motorways without a hard shoulder have been found to be three times more dangerous than ones where drivers have that option. Behind the data lie horrific incidents, in which stationary vehicles have been ploughed into from behind with fatal consequences. In one tragic case , a passenger in a car which stopped to lend assistance to another vehicle was killed when a lorry crashed into it.

Plea from RAC comes a year after plans for new smart motorway projects were cancelled amid longstanding safety concerns

Ministers are being urged to reinstate the hard shoulder on smart motorways.

The RAC issued the plea exactly a year after Rishi Sunak cancelled plans for new smart motorway projects , citing financial pressures and a lack of public confidence in the roads.