Later today, Shadow Transport Minister Mary Creagh and Scottish Labour Infrastructure Spokesman James Kelly MSP will outline a ‘new deal’ for Scotland’s railways, including powers for the Scottish Parliament to open the ScotRail franchise to future bids from co-operative and private sector companies.

Ahead of the announcement, Co-operative Party General Secretary Karin Christiansen said:

“People in Scotland and the rest of Britain deserve better than huge shareholder profits funded by sky high prices and massive public subsidy.

“The Co-operative Party has long championed an alternative vision, a People’s Railway, in which public accountability and employee involvement leads to reduced costs by checking executive pay, tackling waste, and providing a relentless focus on passenger priorities.

“Today’s commitment by the Labour Party to create the conditions in which a mutual model could be developed to take on franchises is a radical first step on the journey towards a people’s railway.”

Notes for editors

1. For further information, contact Claire McCarthy on 02073674152 or media@party.coop
2. The Co-operative Party is the political arm of the co-operative movement and Labour’s sister party. There are 4 Labour Co-operative MSPs, 32 Labour Co-operative MPs and over a 1000 Labour Co-operative local councillors across the UK. (https://party.coop/)
3.  The Co-operative Party has been calling for reform of the railways to increase public, passenger and staff accountability and to allow not-for-profit providers to challenge the private sector.
4. The Co-operative Party has worked with Professor Paul Salveson from the University of Huddersfield to develop proposals for a mutual model for rail delivery in Wales and Scotland

‘Rail Cymru’ and ‘Scotrail’   documents are available on our website at

1. https://party.coop/wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/2014/07/Scotrail-A-Peoples-Railway-for-Scotland-FINAL.pdf
2. http://www.party.coop/files/2012/11/Welsh-Rail-pamphlet-online.pdf.pdf.pdf.pdf