Overview

The train derailment at Hatfield in October 2000, which cost four lives, prompted a national rethink about the state of Britain's railways. The crash has been followed by months of near-paralysis on the system, and has put privatization under the spotlight as never before. Off the Rails looks at the disastrous consequences of private ownership for Britain's railway network and makes the case for the restoration of the system to public control. It traces the history of the privatization process from think-tanks to legislation, and how British Rail came to be sold off in a hurry in one hundred different pieces by the Major government, despite public hostility. It looks at the complex structure of the privately-owned rail industry and identifies the main players, showing how they have failed to work in the public interest. It explains the conflicting roles of the various regulators, and adds up money made for shareholders at the taxpayers' expense in an industry which combines public subsidy with private profit. Written by an author deeply involved in the industry, Off the Rails draws extensively on the testimony of those who work on the railways-the train drivers, maintenance workers, signalers, station staff and passengers' representatives. The Hatfield crash was the final straw for the public reputation of the fragmented railway. The run-up to the disaster and the chaos afterward are examined in detail, as are the limitations of the political response from New Labour. Off the Rails is also a call for change. The book looks at how public ownership could be reintroduced and considers other alternatives for renewing the railways. It also draws on experience in other parts of the world to make the case that only the restoration of the railways as a public service can guarantee the safe and reliable service which passengers expect.

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9781859844960

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Reviews

Andrew Murray rightly draws attention to the fact that - far from modernising the railways in the interests of the customer - the break-up and privatisation of rail has led to catastrophe and a deteriorating service. His conclusion that rail privatisation is not only 'uniquely awful' but has a wider message about the role of the private sector in the public services is highly relevant to the debate now taking place about the future of those services. - Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London Andrew Murray has produced a mini-masterpiece and done his country an enormous favour ... In a better world ASLEF union organisers would distribute free copies at mainline stations to weary, humiliated commuters. - New Statesman In exposing the failings that enterprise and political expediency have brought us so far, [this] combination of forceful reasoning and emotional polemics carries the day. The most ardent free-marketer will struggle to rebut [it]. -- Daily Telegraph ... prescient... - Financial Times It is not often that one can describe a book examining policy failures, mmanagement failures and risk assessment at as a 'rattling good yarn' - Tribune Meticulously researched and well-written, this book is a must. - Morning Star

It is not often that one can describe a book examining policy failures, management failures and risk assessment failures as a 'rattling good yarn.' * Tribune * Meticulously researched and well-written, this book is a must. * Morning Star * Excellent ... a masterful analysis of the role of privatisation in the crisis currently facing the railways. -- John Hendy QC Andrew Murray has produced a mini-masterpiece and done his country an enormous favor ... In a better world ASLEF union organisers would distribute free copies at mainline stations to weary, humiliated commuters. * New Statesman * ... in exposing the failings that enterprise and political expediency have brought us so far, [this] combination of forceful reasoning and emotional polemics carries the day. The most ardent free-marketeer will struggle to rebut [it]. * Daily Telegraph * ... prescient ... * Financial Times * Andrew Murray rightly draws attention to the fact that-far from modernising the railways in the interests of the customer-the break-up and privatisation of rail has led to catastrophe and a deteriorating service. His conclusion that rail privatisation is not only 'uniquely awful' but has a wider message about the role of the private sector in the public services is highly relevant to the debate now taking place about the future of those services. -- Ken Livingston, Mayor of London

Author Information

Andrew Murray has been Chief of Staff of Unite union since 2011, and was previously its Director of Communications. He was Chair of the Stop the War Coalition. He is the author of a number of books on history and politics, including Off the Rails: The Crisis on Britain's Railways, A New Labour Nightmare and with Lindsey German Stop the War: The Story of Britain's Biggest Mass Movement. He worked as part of the strategic leadership of Labour's 2017 general election campaign.

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