Two ICE trains in Cologne, where Germany operates a public railway within EU rules. Wikimedia. CC.Of the Tory privatisations visited upon the UK in recent decades, few arouse such intensity of feelings as that of the railways. A much-loved public institution now dogged by a reputation for exploitative and above-inflation price increases paired with poor service, commitments to renationalise the network offered an early emblem of what a Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn was to stand for.
With Brexit triggered for March 2019, and enthusiasts on the left keen to point out the threat posed by the EU to the proposition of UK public ownership, how much do EU rules impact on the widely popular idea of a railway taken back from private hands?
Julian Sayarer: Does the Labour Party need Brexit in order to deliver on its popular policy of rail renationalisation?
