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From the Torygraph:
Third class rail travel on the way back
Ministers are facing accusations of turning the clock back 50 years with proposals to introduce a third class of rail travel on the East Coast Main Line
Britain is set to return to three-class rail travel, The Telegraph can disclose.
It is set to become a reality on the East Coast Main Line to Scotland and north east England when the currently state-run franchise, is returned to private hands.
The proposal, contained in the franchise prospectus drawn up by the Department for Transport, led to accusations that the Government was looking to turn the clock back to the 1950s.
Third Class rail travel was last seen in Britain in 1956. While the Government insisted that the proposals were intended to pave the way for a class equivalent to premium economy on aircraft, the plans triggered a furious response.
“Although this leaked document doesn’t specify what that means, twenty years of experience of private rail operators points to a Ryanair model with passengers rammed in to creaking cattle trucks with a surcharge for everything from your bags to using the lavatories,” said Bob Crow, leader of the RMT Transport Union.
“Not only are the Government prepared to rip apart the successful publicly owned East Coast service but they are opening the door to the private sector to create a new, third class of service.”
Mary Creagh, the shadow transport secretary added: " David Cameron says we’re all in this together but if that’s true then why is he going back to the 1950s and reintroducing third class? East Coast passengers deserve better than this.''
How the three class system would work is unclear. One option floated in the industry would be a reservation-only standard class, where passengers would be guaranteed a seat. (Read More)