Rail protests spread across Britain

Campaigners faced freezing temperatures as they distributed Chistmas cards to passengers at over 50 stations across Britain from 7am to win support for railways that put people before profit.

today's action, which targeted morning and evening rush-hours, reached tens of thousands of passengers at 45 stations in England, five stations in Scotland and four stations in Wales.

And campaginers said they received unparelleled support from commuters facing further inflation busting price rises on journey prices.

Rail union RMT Paddington branch secretary Eddie Dempsey was among a 15-strong team winning support for rail renationalistion at Britain's biggest rail hub today morning.

He told the Morning Star he had been pleased to receive support from one private-sector businessman.

Mr Dempsey said: "I was speaking to a private-sector employer this morning, he can't get people to come and work in London because they are spending over a quater of their income to travel in."

"It goes to show that people across the spectrum are now saying that the private casino that is the franchise system has run out of steam.

"They are taking taxpayers' money and handing it directly to the shareholders of these private companies and in the middle of it you've got passengers who are paying extrodinarily high fares to travel on overcrowded, dirty and out of date trains and they are being served by staff on poverty wages."