Huge chunks of Britain’s rail system are now owned by foreign governments – it is time to take back public control

This is the campaign video published by rail union the TSSA to highlight how passengers on Britain’s privatised railways end up subsidising train travel in France, Germany and Holland.

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the rail union, said: “The sad fact of Britain’s railways under privatisation is that they are actually not private at all. Huge chunks of Britain’s rail operating companies are now owned by the French, the German and the Dutch governments. Our rail operating companies are now largely the publicly-owned and controlled assets of other nation states.

“This film shows the shocking truth of the fate of Britain’s railways under privatisation and makes the case that it is high time the UK takes back public control of our rail operating companies back from Keolis, Arriva and Abeilio who are just front companies for the French, the German and the Dutch states.”