- schedule set out for West Midlands Trains, Govia Thameslink Railway, Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railways to come under public control
- by the middle of next year, more than half of all rail journeys in Great Britain will be under public ownership
- the government is delivering on its commitment to bring passenger services under public control and put passengers back at the heart of the railway
The next 3 train operating companies whose services will transfer into public ownership, as part of the government’s landmark overhaul of the railways, have been confirmed.
After Greater Anglia’s services transfer on 12 October 2025, West Midlands Trains services will then follow on 1 February 2026, before Govia Thameslink Railway’s services on 31 May 2026, marking another significant step in the government’s plans to bring services into public ownership.
This means by the middle of next year, 8 in 10 passenger rail journeys that the department is responsible for will be owned by the public, for the public.
Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railways services are then expected to follow, with the Secretary of State of Transport due to make final decisions on when exactly this will happen in due course.
All passenger services operating under contracts with the department are expected to return to public ownership by the end of 2027 and will eventually be integrated into Great British Railways. Services are being transferred after contracts reach the end of their minimum term, ensuring taxpayers pay no additional costs for breaking contracts early.
Operators must meet rigorous, bespoke standards to earn the right to be called Great British Railways, so we can rebuild a world-class public service.
This confirmation builds on the government’s delivery of the biggest reset of the railways in a generation, which will help to deliver better and more reliable services for passengers.
Legislation to establish Great British Railways, the new public company which will take responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the railways, will be introduced this Parliamentary session.
Publicly owned operating companies Southeastern and LNER are delivering some of the lowest cancellation rates nationally and South Western Railway has tripled the number of new trains in service in the four months since it came under public ownership, offering more comfortable journeys.
