DON’T drag British railways back to the dark days of the Hatfield disaster by privatising Network Rail, Labour MPs told the government yesterday.

The Star revealed on Saturday that Tory Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin was liaising with bankers to discuss a break-up of the nationalised rail maintenance body.

Now shadow transport secretary Lilian Greenwood has demanded assurances that will not initiate an “unneeded, unwanted and dangerous” sell-off.

She pointed out that, under publicly run Network Rail, Britain has an “outstanding safety record” that stands in stark contrast to the record of privatised rail infrastructure company Railtrack, under which the Hatfield rail crash happened in 2000.

Four people died, dozens were injured and Railtrack was subsequently brought back under public ownership.

“We do not want to go back to the dark and chaotic days of the private management of our rail system under Railtrack,” said Labour MP Alan Whitehead.

Mr McLoughlin insisted he had “no plans” for the privatisation of Network Rail.

But campaigners suspect he could change his tune if it is recommended by private HS1 rail boss Nicola Shaw when she publishes her report on Network Rail’s future next week.

The Transport Secretary emphatically backed the sell-off of 18 Network Rail stations.

“I don’t have to be convinced of using the private sector and I will look at any other ways we can involve the private sector in providing better railways services for our constituents,” he said.

“There are no plans to continue a disastrous policy of nationalising the railways.”