Passengers’ long-held desire to see the Docklands Light Railway in state hands came true yesterday, but unfortunately the service won’t be run for the British public good.

Keolis, a subsidiary of France’s state-owned rail system SNCF, will profit from the DLR franchise in partnership with British firm Amey from December.

Serially bungling privateer Serco has run the service since 1997.

Transport union RMT slammed the decision to continue franchising out the running of the DLR.

Acting general secretary Mick Cash said: “Today’s award proves once again that this rotten government are quite happy to have state operators on our railways as long as it isn’t the British state.

“Profits generated from running services in London will be used to subsidise services in Paris making a complete mockery of transport policy in Britain.”

And TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady accused the government of “forcing through bad deals based on ideology” instead of what works best for passengers.

But Labour stopped well short pledging to take the rail network fully back into public ownership, despite overwhelming public support for renationalisation.

Leader Ed Miliband is reportedly set to announce plans to open up franchise bids to the public sector — but not to automatically take franchises into public ownership as they expire.

Mr Cash denounced Labour’s plan as “a total cop-out.”

He said: “RMT wants to see the entire rail network taken back into public ownership, closing the door on two decades of greed and exploitation.

“That position is supported by 70 per cent of the British people.”