#public-ownership

#public-ownership

Following the announcement that rail operator Great Western Railway (GWR) is to be brought under public ownership in December, train passengers may be wondering if the move will make any difference to things like ticket fares, jobs and timetables. The Swindon-based operator, which is owned by FirstGroup, has run services and linked London to the south-west of England and Wales since 1996. Several rail firms around the country are already publicly owned, including Great Anglia and South Western Railway.

The acquisition of Villa Mussolini through an auction was an act of love and vision, bringing it back into public hands as a victory for the entire town.

SWR has reduced its summer timetable to train drivers on new trains, affecting less than 5% of daily services at a time of decreased customer numbers.

Labour could have chosen the public interest over the profit motive when reorganizing the water industry in England and Wales. Despite polling showing support for publicly owned water companies, the government ruled out reversing the 1989 water privatization.

The actual market value of water companies appears to be substantially lower, as demonstrated by KKR's $4 billion equity offer for Thames Water.