Passenger Railway Services Bill (Public Ownership) Bill: Second Reading

Parliament voted on 29 July 2024 to give the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill its Second Reading, passing it by 351 votes to 84. Second Reading is the stage at which MPs vote on the general principles of a bill, so the result confirmed that the House of Commons supported the broad aim of bringing passenger rail services back under public ownership. Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs voted unanimously in favour, while Conservative and Reform UK members provided almost all of the opposition.

The bill would end the system of private franchising that has governed most passenger rail in Great Britain since the mid-1990s, transferring the running of train services to a publicly owned body as existing contracts expire or are terminated. The practical effect is that passengers would travel on trains operated by the state rather than by private companies. Proponents argue this will improve reliability, accountability and coordination; opponents contend it removes commercial incentives that drive efficiency and that public ownership carries financial risks for taxpayers.

The party lines were almost entirely uniform. All 346 Labour and Labour Co-operative members who voted did so in favour, as did all three Green MPs, the sole SDLP member and three Independents. Eighty-two Conservatives and three Reform UK MPs voted against, with one Independent also in the no lobby. There were no notable cross-party rebellions. The bill subsequently progressed to Committee stage in September 2024, where Conservative-backed amendments to limit or qualify the nationalisation were defeated by comfortable margins, confirming that the government retained firm control of the legislation's direction.