Secretary of State for Transport (): My Noble Friend, the
Minister of State for Transport ( of Richmond Hill) has made the
following Ministerial Statement on the 30th January.
I am confirming to the House that on Sunday 1 February, West
Midlands Trains, operating as London Northwestern Railway and
West Midlands Railway, will become the fourth operator whose
services will transfer into public ownership under the Passenger
Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act.
Operations will now be run by a new public sector operator – WM
Trains Limited – a subsidiary of public corporation DfT Operator
Limited (DFTO).
This now means that eight of the 14 train operators that my
Department is responsible for, and which will form the backbone
of passenger services under Great British Railways (GBR), are in
public ownership.
Govia Thameslink Railway's services will be the next to transfer
on 31 May 2026, with the intention that Chiltern Railways and
Great Western Railway's services will follow. Expiry notices will
be issued to confirm the dates of transfer for these operators
once a final decision has been taken.
Public ownership is already putting passengers at the heart of
the railway, but, in and of itself, is not a silver bullet. To
truly fix the structural issues that have long plagued our
railways, we need systemic reform.
The Railways Bill continues its passage through Parliament and
will establish GBR, a new publicly owned body, that will run and
manage the tracks and trains for passengers and freight use every
day. The Bill will also give passengers a powerful new voice with
a Passenger Watchdog, and an enhanced role for devolved
governments and England's mayors to have a bigger say in how the
railway is run in their regions.
GBR will take responsibility for the day-to-day operational
delivery of the railways: from delivering services to setting
timetables, managing access to the network and operating,
maintaining, and renewing infrastructure. It will also bring
fares and ticketing into the 21st century, simplifying the
baffling array of fares and ticketing that passengers currently
endure, ensuring they get best value for money. The new GBR app
and website will allow passengers to buy tickets, check train
times and access a range of support all in one place.
Ahead of the establishment of GBR, the management of track and
train is already being brought closer together with integrated
leadership across DFTO train operating companies and Network Rail
routes in defined regional areas. This will deliver improvements
for passengers and freight users.
Furthermore, for the first time in 30 years, rail fares will be
frozen for a year from March. This will put money back in
passengers' pockets and ease the cost of living for hard working
people, including delivering savings across over a billion
journeys.
The Government continues to deliver on its Plan for Change, with
investment and reform driving growth and rebuilding Britain.
Reforming our railways is central to this and will drive improved
performance, bringing more people back to rail, generating
greater revenue and reducing costs.
Statement from
Department for Transport
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