The new British government wants to partially renationalize the railways. Today, Parliament in London is due to vote on a corresponding bill by Transport Minister Louise Haigh in third reading. The draft stipulates that operations by private providers will end when the existing contracts expire or a contractually agreed termination clause can be invoked.
There are currently 28 different railway companies in the United Kingdom, which generally primarily serve a specific region. There has long been criticism of train cancellations and delays as well as high ticket prices. Strikes have repeatedly brought the connections to a standstill. Unions accuse the companies of exploiting their employees. Profits only benefit managers and shareholders.
In a second step, Minister Haigh of the social democratic Labour Party wants to set up the state-owned company Great British Railways. It will also take over the tasks of the non-profit company Network Rail, which is responsible for infrastructure such as the rail network.
This is not the first time that the British railway system is to be nationalised. After the Second World War, the four major operators were merged to form the state-owned British Railways. When the conservative government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sold the state-owned companies, British Rail, as the company was then called, was broken up.
Demands for the break-up of the railway in Germany
In Germany, the situation in rail transport is almost the opposite. Market leader Deutsche Bahn is a federally owned company. It is organized as a stock corporation, but is wholly owned by the Federal Republic. Deutsche Bahn not only runs trains across the country, but also operates most of the dilapidated rail network in Germany.
Due to increasing train cancellations and long delays, there are repeated calls to break up the company and separate the network and operations.
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