POTENTIAL rail operators should be denied franchises if they refused

to offer tickets covering the whole network Labour leader Mr Tony Blair

insisted yesterday. He was involved in sharp Commons exchanges with the

Prime Minister, who insisted that he was committed to through ticketing.

However, Mr Major was forced to admit that under the Government's own

legislation it had no powers to order the Rail Regulator, Mr John Swift,

to do anything and could only offer guidance.

Mr Swift's proposal that only limited numbers of stations need sell

tickets to all parts of the country has met widespread criticism and an

assurance from Transport Secretary Dr Brian Mawhinney that Ministers

want tickets to be widely available.

The Regulator plans to publish today a consultation document seeking

ideas to maintain or improve benefits in the network as a whole,

including through- ticketing, after privatisation.

A spokesman said many people did not realise the limitations on

through ticketing under the presenty system , for example, with the 1200

unmanned BR stations.

One suggestion believed to be being considered by the regulator is to

make conductors on trains responsible for issuing tickets beyond the

journey they are supervising.

Mr Blair said: ''Any attempt by the Rail Regulator to cut through

ticketing so that people might have to travel 50 miles in order to get a

train ticket is utterly unacceptable.''

Mr Major insisted: ''We have repeatedly made clear our commitment to

maintaining through-ticketing.'' He said this should continue to be

available from ''a wide range of outlets.''

There were ''Ahs'' from Labour MPs when he added that the rail

regualtor was by law independent although the Transport Secretary could

give him guidance under the Railways Act.

Mr Major said: ''The regulator would be bound to take account of such

guidance but at this stage, prior to the issue of a consultation

document, the question of guidance is entirely premature.''

Mr Blair said the Director of Franchising should be instructed to

refuse a franchse to anyy of the 25 potential buyers of a railway

operation who refused to maintain through ticketing.

He warned that under privatisation the railways would show the same

inflated salary increases as other privatised industries. He said Labour

would campaign for privatisation to be halted, he said. The railways

should be run as a proper , integrated public service.

Mr Major retorted that if privatisation was so bad he wondered why Mr

Blair refused to commit Labour to renationalising them if they came to

power. After fifty years, no-one was satisfied with the railways as they

were he claimed, to shouts of dissent from some Opposition MPs.

Labour had opposed every single privatisation, he said, but they had

turned out to be success stories. He cited British Airways, where Labour

claimed privatisation would make it '' the pantomime horse of

capitalismm'' but it had been turned into ''the most efficient airline

in the world.''

Mr Major added: ''We will privatise the ralways and it will be a

better service.''