Tory privatisation in action: Nearly three-quarters of our rail companies are now owned by foreigners

Last Updated: January 14, 2017By

An East Coast Main Line train [Image: PA].

National Express has signed a £70 million deal to sell its c2c franchise, which runs from London to Essex, to Italy’s Trenitalia.

Does it give you a warm feeling to know that people in yet another foreign country are going to profit from your tax money, as all the rail companies receive a share of a UK state subsidy totalling nearly £4 billion every year?

Are you happy with the fact that, despite the apparent appetite for throwing Johnny Foreigner off our islands, our own government is delighted to throw all our money after him, leaving us with substandard services?

Are you glad that, even though many of you voted to leave the European Union, it won’t make a blind bit of difference as your Conservative Government has ensured that your money will still go to these foreign rail firms (many of which are nationalised), making their services better while yours fall apart?

If you have voted Conservative at any time between 1979 and now, this is what you wanted. How does that make you feel?

Another rail franchise in Britain has fallen into the hands of a foreign state operator with the Italians getting a slice of the action for the first time.

The move triggered outrage from rail union leaders and campaigners as it was revealed that now 20 out of 28 privatised rail franchises – some 70% – are partially or wholly-owned by foreign states or their railways.

Source: Fury as another British rail franchise is snapped up by a foreign state operator

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4 Comments

  1. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) January 14, 2017 at 8:42 am - Reply

    If we don’t get rid of this disastrous government soon there will be nothing left to sell off. They will have creamed off our profits and our capital assets and will be able to retire to some paradise far away.

  2. NMac January 15, 2017 at 10:36 am - Reply

    The Tory hard-line right-wingers are always banging on about taking back control from Europe, but on this subject of Europe owning most of our railways they are totally silent. The secret of course is that they can make pots of public money for themselves and their chums, so they really don’t care who owns the railways, nor do they care about the levels of service. All they care about is making money at public expense.

  3. Maffi Oxford January 17, 2017 at 12:08 am - Reply

    Ask yourself a question: How much of Saud Arabia is owned by non Saudis?

    • Mike Sivier January 18, 2017 at 3:18 am - Reply

      Why should I?

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