PRIVATISATION is to blame for high fares and overcrowding on the railways, leading transport expert Christian Wolmar said last night as Britain’s network was rated second-rate in an international survey.

A report examining services across 25 European countries rated the Netherlands, Germany and France in the top tier, saying their services provided better value for money.

All three’s national rail firms have major stakes in Britain’s privatised networks, and critics say the profits reaped from such franchises subsidise low fares at home.

Other criteria considered in the Boston Consulting Group report included quality of service, intensity of use and safety.

Britain was ranked in the second tier, with a score of 5.6 out of 10, on a par with the Czech Republic, Italy and Norway.

Switzerland topped the rankings with a score of 7.1.

Transport journalist Mr Wolmar, who is seeking to be Labour’s London mayoral candidate, said he was “sceptical” of the findings.

“Britain has an effective transport system,” he said. “Other countries like France have shiny high-speed lines, but once you try to get to places not on the high-speed lines, it can get pretty grim.”

But he said some of the failings of the British network were “definitely down to the way the private railways are run.”

“Fragmentation is an enormous problem,” he said. “The separation [of different components of the rail system] has certainly caused some negatives in terms of sorting out delays, getting compensation, the high cost of walk-up tickets and overcrowding.”