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Guidance Published 8 Sep 2026 Department for Transport DfT Operator Limited ↗ View on GOV.UK

Great British Railways and the public ownership programme

Updates on the programme to transfer rail services into public ownership and establish GBR as the body responsible for passenger services and infrastructure.

▤ Verbatim text from source document

Great British Railways is on track

Great British Railways (GBR) will be the single ‘directing mind’ for the railways, bringing track and train together, putting passengers and customers first, rebuilding trust in the railway and operating the majority of passenger services under public ownership and control.

Integrated leadership teams combining track and train, which will be the model for GBR, have already been set up for Anglia, South Eastern and South Western, with further regions to come.

GBR will end years of fragmentation and will have a relentless focus on driving up standards for passengers, including simpler fares and ticketing. It will have the independence and tools it needs to deliver improvements to rail services and plan and run the railway on a long-term basis in the interest of its passenger and freight customers and taxpayers.

Instead of having to navigate multiple train operators, passengers will once again simply be able to use ‘the railway’. In place of private franchised services, they will travel on GBR trains, running on GBR tracks, and working to a GBR timetable – all run by a single body focused on the interests of passengers and customers.

By unifying track and train under one organisation, GBR and public ownership will focus on getting the basics right for passengers and customers, as well as better value for taxpayers.

A whole-system approach will allow GBR to:

  • act more efficiently
  • make better, more informed decisions
  • fix problems faster
  • give local leaders a say in how services are run in their regions

The new GBR app will also help to simplify fares and ticketing by providing tickets, train times and support all in one place. This will build on what has already been achieved in simplifying fares and ticketing – long-distance fares trials, extensions to Pay As You Go and the historic fares freeze.

GBR’s brand is being rolled out across the railway network in a phased way to ensure value for money.

Establishing Great British Railways

The Railways Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 5 November 2025. Scrutiny of the bill continues in the House of Lords. GBR is expected to be operational around 12 months after the bill receives Royal Assent.

Under public ownership:

  • South Western Railway has accelerated the rollout of its new £1 billion fleet of Arterio trains, introducing 39 new trains into service already
  • a new East Coast Mainline timetable has been introduced to add 10,000 extra LNER services annually, meaning 60,000 more seats a week and more, cheaper tickets available
  • Southeastern Railway has invested £2 million in video and camera technology to help identify potential faults on the rail network so they can be fixed quickly
  • wi-fi will be upgraded on more than 1,400 trains across the network, creating more reliable connectivity for passengers

Public ownership programme

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes provision for rail passenger services to be provided by public sector operators, instead of by means of franchises.

This act, which became law in November 2024, has enabled the government to deliver its manifesto commitment to bring passenger services into public ownership as a first step towards wider rail reform. The legislation applies to England, Scotland and Wales.

South Western Railway’s services were the first under new legislation to transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025, followed by c2c’s services on 20 July 2025, Greater Anglia’s services on 12 October 2025, West Midlands Trains’ services on 1 February 2026 and Govia Thameslink Railway’s services on 31 May 2026. Chiltern Railways’ services will be next to transfer on 20 September 2026, followed by Great Western Railway’s services on 13 December 2026.

The transfer of passenger services operated under contracts with the Department for Transport (DfT) is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

Ahead of the establishment of GBR, services are being transferred to a new publicly owned operating company, which will be a subsidiary of DfT Operator Limited (DFTO).

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