TRAVEL times on one of Britain’s inter-city rail networks will be slower than they were 40 years ago after £4.5 billion in public cash has been spent buying new trains.

Taxpayers are paying for Japanese-made Intercity Express Programme trains for use by private operator First Great Western (FGW), which runs services from London Paddington to Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, the south-west England and south Wales.

The Department for Transport ignored Britain’s struggling rail manufacturing industry and placed the order with a Japanese firm.

Now transport union RMT has revealed that the new fleet’s operating times will be slower than they were under public ownership by British Rail four decades ago.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “This report demonstrates once again that rail privatisation has been one of the biggest-ever post-war policy failures.

“Privatised rail services are not only more overcrowded and expensive they are also slower.

“And of course as well as being publicly owned, British Rail trains were publicly manufactured for far less cost in the UK, as opposed to the new trains which are manufactured in Japan.

“As well as being told they are to lose their guard and buffet car, Great Western passengers must also brace themselves for trains that are slower than when Jim Callaghan was Prime Minister and the Sex Pistols were topping the charts with God Save the Queen.”

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “The new trains will transform rail travel for passengers with more seats, more services, reduced journey times and improved reliability.

“Electrification on the Great Western Mainline will deliver average journey time savings of up to 15 minutes.”