BRITS are demanding public ownership of the railways as a new study revealed we’re coughing up six times as much as commuters on the continent.

 

YouGov polling has found that an overwhelming 62 per cent of the population support rethinking ownership of the railways.

 

But as thousands of workers return to the grindstone today, the latest rise in fares will see a Chelmsford to London commuter paying a whopping £358 a month for a season ticket.

 

In stark contrast, a commuter in Rome, where the railway is state owned, could pay just £37 for the same 29-mile distance.

 

This means British passengers are spending 13 per cent of their salaries on travel, compared with just 2 per cent in Italy, 3 per cent in Spain, 4 per cent in Germany and 10 per cent in France.

 

Rail union RMT leader Mick Cash said the news was “a kick in the teeth.”

 

And TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady blasted “failed privatisation” for “exorbitant ticket prices, overcrowded trains and ageing infrastructure.” 

 

“Ministers need to wake up to this reality instead of allowing train companies to milk the system at taxpayers’ and commuters’ expense,” she said.

 

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to renationalise the entire network — taking franchises back as they expire. In September Labour conference also voted to invoke break clauses where possible to end privateers’ grip on the network early.

 

The German, French, Belgian, Dutch and Chinese states all own significant stakes in Britain’s railways.

 

TSSA union general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Profit made on passengers in Britain is not reinvested here, but repatriated to Germany, France, Belgium and Hong Kong to subsidise journeys of passengers there.”

 

This morning rail workers and passengers will target stations across Britain with leaflets protesting against price rises and calling for a fairer deal under public ownership. Flash teams are being co-ordinated by unions alongside the Action for Rail group and Corbyn-backers Momentum.

 

Even 46 per cent of Tory voters support nationalisation — compared to 34 per cent who oppose it.

 

Drivers’ union Aslef leader Mick Whelan said: “Taking the railways back into public hands is a popular policy. The vast majority of voters — Conservative included — are fed up with paying sky-high fares so the privatised train companies can take their slice.”

 

Fares rose by an average of 1.1 per cent this year, but some passengers have faced a rise of over £2,000 in the cost of their season ticket since the Conservatives took office in 2010.

 

Meanwhile, passenger groups called yesterday for compensation for delayed journeys to be standardised across the network.

 

As a result of fragmentation, passengers are entitled to vastly different sums if their trains are delayed. Rail unions have blasted privateers for clinging onto compensation from track operator Network Rail despite it being intended for passengers.

 

The Campaign for Better Transport’s Martin Abrams said: “We want to see an end to vouchers as a form of reimbursement, agreed targets for compensation being paid out, a single set of compensation arrangements across all passenger services and a timetable for automatic delay repay across the network.”