RAIL fares could be slashed by more than 9 per cent under public ownership, train drivers’ union Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan has claimed.

Writing in the Morning Star today, Mr Whelan reveals how passengers but not privateers are paying their way on Britain’s railways.

His analysis of the Office for Rail Regulation’s latest accounts show shareholders stuffed a stunning £204 million into their own pockets instead of spending it on improving services.