Guidance

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.

From:
Department for Transport and DfT Operator Limited
Published
25 May 2025

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 鈥榙irecting mind鈥� 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聽have a relentless focus on driving up standards for passengers,聽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 鈥榯he railway鈥�. They will travel on GBR trains, running on GBR tracks, and working to a GBR timetable 鈥� 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鈥檚 consultation on the Railways Bill outlined plans to set up GBR as a new arm鈥檚 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 , DfT Operator Limited (DFTO), and the Department for Transport鈥檚 (DfT鈥檚) 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 聽

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鈥檚 services are the first under new legislation to transfer into public ownership (on 25 May 2025), followed by c2c鈥檚 services on 20鈥疛uly 2025. Greater Anglia鈥檚 services will then transfer on 12 October 2025.

Following the transfer of Greater Anglia鈥檚 services, DfT expects the programme will continue with one operator鈥檚 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 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.聽

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Published 25 May 2025

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