SIR: Many people are angry about the Government's determination to force through rail privatisation, against the wishes of the majority, and when all the signs point to the proposed sell-off being a complete disaster.

The Government has set up a system which benefits the new private owners of the railways and leaves rail users looking at a rapidly deteriorating service at a higher cost both in fares and through taxes.

For example, the new owners of British Rail's trains have been guaranteed a generous rate of return, but have no obligation to invest in new trains. The new people running the trains themselves are being given big subsidies under contracts so full of 'let-out' and 'get out' clauses that promises about services are short-term, worthless, or both.

Labour intends to change all this. Our aim is to stop this madness.

Whatever happens, Labour is determined there will be a publicly owned, publicly accountable railway - but there will be no blank cheques.

We will make decisions about subsidy and regulation in the interests of taxpayers and passengers - not to prop up privatisation. And, as part of that process, we will use the powers of regulators to help to create a high investment, more intensively used rail network.

David Chaytor, Parliamentary

Spokesperson, Bury North Labour Party,

The Rock, Bury.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.