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Re: Are the railways being quietly renationalised?
The days of an integrated railway owning everything from train manufacturers to KC Jones Burgers, Sealink ferries and hotels are long gone.
I can't see freight or the rolling stock companies being renationalised either.
I think the government's taking a pragmatic approach to ownership. I can envisage most passenger train companies being state run when their franchises finish based upon the fact that a Labour-majority government is the likely outcome in the next election. The exceptions might be those franchises awarded by bodies like TfL and Merseytravel.
One question is what happens to the open operators like Hull Trains which have been quite successful under the current set up. Hopefully, pragmatism will rule the day.
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