The rolling stock leasing companies should be paying a levy, according to the RMT.

The union was responding to news that the dividends of companies like Porterbrook and Eversholt have risen sharply.

Eversholt has recently announced that it has paid a dividend of £200 million, up from £60 million the previous year.

Angel Trains, meanwhile, is paying dividends of £111 million.

The RMT claims that the ROSCos’ profits could fund a fare reduction of 2.5 per cent.

The union’s general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that Andy Burnham was right to say that we must have greater public control of the essentials in life.

He continued: ‘This must mean taking action to rein in the profits of the offshored corporate giants who own our trains.

‘A 100 per cent cost of living levy on this year’s profits would be the equivalent of a 2.5 per cent fare cut and would provide immediate relief for passengers.

‘It would also be a step toward stopping the corporate raiding of our rail system, controlling costs and ultimately nationalising our rolling stock as part of an integrated publicly owned railway.

‘We will be campaigning for this position through amendments to the Great British Railways Bill when the legislation begins in the lords after summer recess and this will be a key union demand in the forthcoming budget.’

The companies say high profits and dividends are essential to attract private investment amounting to billions of pounds, and that some of the profits are used to pay for continued reinvestment in rolling stock.

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