Louise Haigh repeatedly dodged questions on whether ticket prices could rise if it won the election, saying there were no “plans” for increases.
Asked if fares could go up, Ms Haigh said they would be “simpler”, and could not say which journeys would be cheaper.
The party unveiled its plans to transfer rail franchises to public ownership within its first term, calling it the “biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation”. A new Great British Railways would be responsible for rail infrastructure and awarding contracts to operate trains. However, it would be led by rail experts rather than ministers and civil servants in Whitehall. Labour also plans to establish a watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority, to hold GBR to account. It says the reforms would nationalise the network “without the taxpayer paying a penny in compensation costs”.
This story is from the April 26, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the April 26, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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