THE PRICE of train tickets could be slashed by 10 per cent if the railways are brought back into public ownership, an expert study reveals today.

This good news for long-suffering passengers comes as new polling shows just 17 per cent of people still want railways to be run for profit.

The Treasury would save £1.5 billion if 11 rail franchises due for renewal in the next five years were run by the public sector, according to the Transport for Quality of Life analysis of operating costs.