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.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Great British Railways is coming soon
Publicly owned Great British Railways (GBR) will be created around 12 months after legislation is passed. It will be the single ‘directing mind’ 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.
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 14 separate train operators, passengers will once again simply be able to use ‘the railway’. They will travel on GBR trains, running on GBR tracks, and working to a GBR timetable – all run by a single body focused on their interests. That will mean fewer delays, a better experience, and a timetable that better serves their needs.
Establishing Great British Railways
In February 2025, the government’s consultation on the Railways Bill outlined plans to set up GBR as a new arm’s length body, responsible for rail services and infrastructure.
The Railways Bill is due to go before Parliament this parliamentary session. GBR is expected to be operational around 12 months after the bill receives Royal Assent.
Before the bill becomes law, leaders of Network Rail, DfT Operator Limited (DFTO), and the Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) Rail Services Group are working together, as Shadow Great British Railways (SGBR). SGBR will start to realise the benefits of rail reform to passengers and freight ahead of the formal creation of GBR.
Public ownership programme
On 4 December 2024, the government launched the rail public ownership programme and announced the first services to transfer into public ownership. South Western Railway’s services are 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 will then transfer on 12 October 2025.
Following the transfer of Greater Anglia’s services, DfT expects the programme will continue with one operator’s services transferring roughly every 3 months. The transfer of passenger services operated under contracts with DfT is expected to complete by the end of 2027.
Ahead of the establishment of GBR, services will transfer to a new publicly-owned operating company which will be a subsidiary of DFTO.
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 enables 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.
Announcements
- Transfer of South Western Railway’s services into public ownership, written ministerial statement, published 22 May 2025
- Rail reform: a railway fit for Britain’s future, written ministerial statement, published 25 February 2025
- New rail watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold railway to account, press release, published 18 February 2025
- First train services to return to public ownership revealed, press release, published 4 December 2024
- Public ownership: railway passenger services, written ministerial statement, published 4 December 2024