DEMANDS for transport group Arriva’s British stock to be nationalised were made today after owners Deutsche Bahn confirmed it will be put up for sale.

The German rail operator, which runs rail franchises in northern England and the London Overground, has said that it will revive plans for a sell-off of its assets in Britain.

The Berlin-based supervisory board of the company said that it was exploring options to sell Arriva, but has not ruled out a possible public option.

Arriva, which employs 53,000 full-time staff in 14 European countries, operates on a €5.44 billion (£4.67bn) revenue.

Deutsche Bahn insists its decision has been made to improve Germany’s railway network, which has been beset by problems related to the quality of ageing trains.

The company also claims that a quick sale in Britain could allow it to be more financially successful and flexible.

However, the RMT claims that the process of selling has been “ludicrous” and called for public ownership of Arriva’s assets.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “It can’t be right that thousands of jobs associated with train operations across pretty much the whole of the country are left hanging in the balance awaiting a boardroom decision in Berlin.

“‎That is a ludicrous way to run our railways.

“The only solution to this nonsense is to bring Britain’s rail assets back into public ownership free from this kind of grubby speculation where our future is carved up behind closed doors in the interests of global finance capital and not the British rail passenger.”