Labour-affiliated Usdaw declared total opposition to rail privatisation yesterday, highlighting how public ownership is cheaper and more efficient.

Its comments came a week after Labour leader Ed Miliband said the system of privatisation had not worked and praised East Coast Main Line’s public ownership.

Leeds delegate Ian Dalton said: “80 per cent of the population favour renationalisation. The case is no clearer than in the case of East Coast Main Line.

“Privately owned lines have received seven times the subsidy of the in-house East Coast Main Line.”

Mr Dalton reached out to fellow trade unionists in the transport unions saying Usdaw should stand behind their campaigns against ticket-office closures.

Delegate Pat Buttle recalled: “When it was privatised, the East Coast, it was packed and often didn’t have crews to put on trains.

“Now we have it renationalised, it makes profit that goes to the taxpayer.

“The trains take more public subsidy than when it was privatised.”

She also said people do not feel safe travelling on trains without guards.

She added: “The latest nonsense of getting rid of the guards, who is going to look after the passengers?

“I don’t get on a train without a guard. The staff do excellent work and we should support them.”

And she reminded Mr Miliband: “It is Labour Party policy as decided at conference to renationalise the railways. All we have to do is wait for these private contracts to finish and just take over the lines.”