When Labour took South Western Railway into public ownership, they promised better value for taxpayers and passengers.

But I believe the early signs aren’t encouraging – and our community is already feeling the effects.

The rushed handover by the Department for Transport (Dft) has left taxpayers with an extra £250 million bill over five years. Why? Because officials waited until the eleventh hour to negotiate new train leases.

With only days to strike a deal, the rolling stock companies charged more for a short-term contract. And what has been the result? higher costs, same trains, no improvements.

This isn’t a one-off mistake. Across the rail network, operators – whether public or private – lease their trains from ROSCOs, often on long-term contracts backed by government guarantees.

These were supposed to encourage investment. In reality, they now expose the public to billions in liabilities. The DfT’s own accounts put the figure at around £10 billion.

Taking South Western Railway into public ownership hasn’t changed any of that as the leasing model remains unreformed and you, the taxpayer, still carries the risk. The only difference is that more of that risk now sits directly with government.

And for all this, passengers in our area are still waiting for things to improve. Commuters using Haslemere and Liphook have endured delays, cancellations and overcrowding – including yet another miserable evening for travellers just last week, on top of the recent chaos at Waterloo in which 14 platforms were closed and multiple services cancelled or severely delayed.

Meanwhile, Bordon remains effectively cut off from the rail network altogether. The lack of a proper bus link to nearby stations continues to isolate that town and holds back opportunities for residents.

Since May, Labour has already taken over another operator – C2C – and eight more are expected to follow. But real rail reform can’t just be flicked on like a switch.

The Conservatives' Great British Railways plan was built to deliver visible, lasting improvements for passengers. Labour has hollowed it out and filled it with ideology.

Now they’re in government, they may just be starting to learn that running a railway takes more than slogans.

Next week, I’ll be meeting the new Managing Director of South Western Railway at the Farnham Depot. I’ll be raising the issues affecting local passengers directly – from overcrowded trains to the poor public transport connections in Bordon.

Our community deserves better than expensive headlines and political experiments. We need competent planning, urgent reform of the train leasing system, and a relentless focus on reliable, value-for-money services.