Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Lillian Jones Excerpts
Thursday 9th January 2025

(1 day, 14 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lillian Jones Portrait Lillian Jones (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)
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The nationalisation of ScotRail has been another SNP transport fiasco. The Scottish Government’s flagship £25 million scheme to boost the amount of freight transported by rail failed to achieve growth. Their mismanagement of ScotRail and their own budget has led to a double-whammy price hike for passengers, with the return of peak fares at the same time as price rises. Does the Secretary of State agree that, at a time when we need better trains to boost growth and reduce emissions, the SNP has instead consigned Scotland to a spiral of decline and let my constituents down?

Heidi Alexander Portrait Heidi Alexander
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I agree. We will not make the same mistakes when we take train operating companies into public ownership. We will do it properly. It is a massive undertaking, but we will make our railways a system for the whole country to be proud of.