Will UK Trains Ever Get Back on Track?
Jova Bostanci, LLM Human Rights, Conflict and Justice
Delayed, cancelled, overpriced. These are the realities of Britain’s modern train network, and they’re becoming harder to ignore. For years, trains have failed to arrive, the quality has continued to disappoint, and fares have risen, making UK trains the most expensive in Europe in 2025.
Labour’s Promises Derailed
In April 2024, the Labour Party pledged to renationalise the majority of passenger rail services within five years. Now in government, why has that promise already stalled?
Labour’s campaign promised to deliver ‘the most significant railway reform in a generation,’ focused on improving services and reducing fares. Public ownership was central, intended to reverse years of fragmented private ownership and chronic underinvestment.
Former Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, pledged ‘to get us to the right destination and deliver for the Great British passenger.’ Criticising the network's state under Conservative rule as a ‘symbol of national decline.’
Haigh called it ‘the biggest reform to our railways in a generation,’ stating that the government ‘will invest every penny into creating a stronger, more reliable rail network that works for everyone.’
In July 2024, Labour introduced the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill and by September it had already passed its key Commons stages, the first major reform to pass through the House of Commons after Labour took office. Starmer’s government quickly framed this as the start of a new era for British railways. The Bill aimed to reintroduce public sector control over the delivery of the majority of passenger rail services, which many argued could enhance services, streamline operations and introduce cost efficiencies for both taxpayers but also passengers.
However, according to the UK Parliament website, the Bill’s last public update was in November 2024. For a policy described as a ‘mission’ the silence since has been deafening.
In a separate policy, the Labour government has gone forward with some of their promises of nationalisation of the railway. For example, several train companies have been brought into public ownership. As of October 2025, these include London North Eastern Railway, Northern Transport for Wales, Southeastern, ScotRail, TransPennine Express, South Western Railway, C2C and Greater Anglia.
Yet, many of Britain’s trains still remain privately owned. This raises a fundamental question: what meaningful nationalisation has actually taken place? Many would argue that the reforms so far fall short of genuine public ownership.
More recently, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced in her budget that train fares will be frozen from early 2026 until March 2027, the first freeze in 30 years. However, this only applies to travel in England, and with fares already at record high, many argue this measure offers only limited relief and does little to improve affordability for everyday passengers.
A System Failing the People
Statistics reveal the severity of the situation: In November 2024, a record 370,000 train services were either fully or partially cancelled across the UK. Of these, 208,000 were entirely axed, while another 161,000 were partly disrupted, skipping at least one scheduled stop. That amounts to one cancellation every 90 seconds, a shocking figure for a system vital to daily life. Great Western Railway, Northern, and ScotRail are among the operators most affected.
Sundays are particularly vulnerable to disorder, as many operators depend on train drivers and guards taking on overtime shifts. With scheduled engineering work every 2 weeks, disruption is guaranteed. Especially on the Great Western Railway (GWR), with nearly 50% of long-distance Sunday trains between the West and London being cancelled or severely delayed.
Despite worsening service, fares rose by 4.6% in March 2025. According to campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E), Britain now has the highest train fares in Europe.
Even discount options offer little relief, as they no longer feel cheap enough to truly save money. Railcards, designed to make travel more affordable for young people, families, and seniors, still cost up to £35 a year. Passengers are already paying significant fares on top of this, which often raises the question as to whether the savings outweigh the frequent delays and cancellations. It feels like a hollow gesture, a discount for a system that barely works. When delays, cancellations, and overcrowded trains are the norm, what value does a railcard really have? Discounts offer little reassurance when services remain unreliable, and prices stay high. With the cost of living rising, these issues add to the already significant stress, uncertainty, and expense faced by many travellers.
Not only has the privatisation left individuals with extortionate prices, but it has also created a system that struggles to deliver consistent and reliable services. According to the trainline website, there are around 28 different train operating companies (TOCs). While the railway network is owned by the public entity Network Rail, the day-to-day running of train services is managed by these private TOCs. This leaves little control over prices or improvement of the services. On the topic of rail companies, according to government statistics, this year Cross Country cancelled 4.88% of its scheduled services, meaning 1 in every 20 trains failed to run at all. Northern Line Trains saw a record 4.28% cancellations and Great Western Railway saw 3.75%.
Heather, a final-year university student at UAL- experienced these issues firsthand while travelling from York to London. After her original train was cancelled late at night, she boarded the only remaining service heading to the capital, only to be told she was on ‘the wrong train service’. With no other options made available until 5am, she was told to either pay an extra £100 for a new fare or get off and wait alone overnight for the correct train company. ‘I said I couldn’t afford it, but he told me that was my only option.’ With already expensive fares and a high risk of cancellations, her story reflects everyday struggles many passengers face on the UK’s broken rail network.
Union Struggles
Rail workers are also feeling the strain. Backed by unions like RMT, ASLEF, and TSSA, they’ve demanded better pay and safer conditions. When talks broke down, over 40,000 workers in total walked out between 2022 and 2024, the biggest strikes since 1989. Though some deals were reached by late 2024, many issues, like staffing cuts, remain. Without sufficient staffing, services are delayed or cut altogether.
It’s not just the trains. Bus services, heavily relied upon by lower-income households, are facing similar neglect. Although Labour had previously promised to fix public transport more broadly, fares continue to rise. In 2025, the cap on single bus fares outside London increased from £2 to £3.
Driver shortages are also straining the system. According to the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), the vacancy rate in the bus sector is now 6.5%, and for coaches, a staggering 12.5%. The TSSA union attributes this to low pay, long hours, and unpredictable shift patterns, working conditions that deter new drivers and burn out the current workforce.
Twelve years of Conservative austerity fuelled the decline. Labour’s election win was seen as a chance to repair the damage, especially in transport. But so far, promises have outpaced results.
For millions, train travel isn’t optional. It’s how people commute to work, attend school, access healthcare or visit family. With car ownership being increasingly unaffordable due to rising fuel and insurance costs, rail should be a functional, affordable alternative.
Examples like this highlight the urgent need for a system that puts passengers before profit. With 28 private operators running a fragmented and unreliable network, improvement is unlikely. Proper nationalisation offers a real solution that could ensure long-term investment, lower fares and coordinated service across the country, with people’s needs at its core. A necessary reform that Labour once promised but has since made clear that they will not deliver fully in government.
Without urgent and visible change, Britain’s transport system won’t just be delayed, it’ll be left behind entirely.
