Commuters at Worcester’s Foregate Street station seemed to look more favourably on rail re-nationalisation than the city’s MP Robin Walker

Mr Walker, a Conservative government minister, said Labour’s plans to bring railways back into public ownership showed the party wasn’t fit for government.

He cited a report by think-tank The Centre for Policy Studies that said Jeremy Corbyn’s plans would costs £176 billion, and criticised the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell for refusing to accept that analysis on TV at the weekend.

Mr Walker said: “The Shadow Chancellor has shown yet again that the Labour Party aren’t fit to govern. Labour’s renationalisation scheme is a reckless plan that will cost taxpayers money and risk vital local services rather than improve them.

"Under the Conservatives we have seen investment into our county with two new stations at Bromsgrove and soon at Worcestershire Parkway, delivery that has not been seen since the time of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

"Alongside the biggest investment in rail since the Victorians we have just seen the biggest investment in our local roads in the life of Worcestershire County Council.

“In recent months we’ve seen crucial investment to reduce congestion in Worcester and alongside the delivery of the long-awaited Worcestershire Parkway this will make a huge difference to local residents. It is notable that the one area where I am currently finding the transport system completely unresponsive and had to raise some serious concerns was with the handling of closures on the M5 by Highways England, which happens to be a nationalised company.”

But some travellers at Foregate Street didn’t feel the same way.

James White, 40, said: “We should renationalise them. I use Great Western every day to Tewkesbury and it’s not run as a service, I wouldn’t call it a service – whatever makes the most profit for the company is what’s done.

“I do remember the days of British Rail, and there might have been problems, but I don’t think it was as bad as all that.”

Charlotte Jones, 42, a student at Worcester University wasn’t sure whether renationalisation was the answer. 

She added: “I do know that there’s never enough seats, that there are more and more people who use the train and it’s way over capacity. I just think it could be greatly improved.”

Chris Hendon, 26, travels to Foregate Street every day.

He said: ”I’ve only ever known the railways as privatised but if a party said they’d renationalise them, then absolutely I’d think about voting for them.

“The prices go up all the time, but that doesn’t seem to be invested – it doesn’t result in a better service.”

At last June’s general election Mr Walker beat Labour’s Joy Squires.

She said: “Not only is Robin Walker completely out of touch with how passengers feel about fares and the reliability of our railway network, he is also plain wrong about the costs of bringing our railways back into public ownership.

"The franchises will simply not be renewed when they end, so there will be no need to pay any compensation to anyone. Even the Centre for Policy Research acknowledge that done this way, taking rail back into public ownership won’t cost money.

"Ultimately all investment in the railways is funded by taxpayers and fare payers. The difference is that under public ownership all public money would go towards improving services and holding fares down, not lining the pockets of private train companies and their shareholders, as is currently the case.”

The report by the Centre for Policy Studies, is available at http://www.cps.org.uk/publications/the-cost-of-nationalisation