About us
DfT Operator Limited (DFTO) is the government’s public sector rail owning group. DFTO's purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027.
Responsibilities
DfT Operator Limited (DFTO) is responsible for:
- unifying train operators under common ownership – DFTO was given this mandate after the Royal Assent of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill 2024
- delivering high-performing, safe and reliable services for passengers and best value for taxpayers, through closer integration with Network Rail and partners
The group’s current train operating companies are:
- London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
- Northern
- Southeastern
- TransPennine Express (TPE)
- South Western Railway (SWR)
DFTO runs over 6,000 services a day and delivers over 450 million customer journeys across its networks every year. This accounts for 26% of total UK passenger journeys and 30% of passenger miles.
Who DFTO is
DFTO has over 23,000 employees. DFTO’s operators have welcomed over 2000 people to the railway family in the last year and have delivered 1300 apprenticeships, bringing in people from every background.
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