Britain's biggest train operator’s services enter public ownership this weekend
|
on Sunday 31 May, Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick
Express will transfer into public ownership to deliver more
reliable, passenger-centred services across the network passengers
will see bread and butter improvements to their services, including
doubling trains to Gatwick Airport each hour and recruiting more
drivers to reduce cancellations transfer means publicly-owned
operators will deliver 8 in 10 passenger rail journeys that Great
British Railways will...Request free
trial
Millions of passengers will benefit from more accountable and reliable journeys, as the UK's largest train operating company's services join the fast-growing family of publicly owned operators from this weekend (31 May 2026). Responsible for 1 in 6 passenger rail journeys in Britain, GTR keeps the South East moving, delivering one of the UK's most extensive rail networks and carrying hundreds of millions of passengers each year. A renationalised GTR will deliver a range of initiatives to improve performance and passenger experience under public ownership, such as doubling the number of services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria every hour and training 110 new Travel Safe Officers to crack down on anti-social behaviour on the network. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: From this Sunday, millions of passengers across the South East and East of England will be travelling on rail services back in public hands – run for the public good, not private profit. Bringing Britain's largest train operator into public ownership is a defining moment in our reform of the railway. It gives us an opportunity to tackle the bread and butter issues people want, like driving down cancellations and improving the frequency of services to Gatwick Airport. As we set up Great British Railways, we're putting passengers first, fixing what's broken, and delivering a railway people can rely on – one that rebuilds trust, regenerates communities and delivers the high standards passengers expect and deserve. GTR's 100 day plan will focus on getting the basics right, to create a reliable service that delivers better on-board experience. The plan includes measures to:
The transfer follows the unveiling of the first Great British Railways (GBR) branded train at Brighton station last week and represents a landmark moment in the journey to public ownership. From Sunday, around 8 in 10 passenger rail journeys that GBR will ultimately be responsible for will take place on publicly owned services. It's the latest step to creating a reliable, accountable and integrated rail network. Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services bring a strong track record, contributing £3.2 billion to the UK economy and supporting 40,000 jobs in 2025. With government support, Thameslink and Great Northern services will also support the delivery of thousands of new homes, as well as schools and employment space, as they begin stopping at the new Cambridge South station from Sunday 28 June. John Whitehurst, Chief Operating Officer for GTR, said: This is a railway that carries millions of people to work, to school, and to see friends and family every single day. From this Sunday every one of them will be on a publicly owned service, which is a responsibility we take seriously and one we have been preparing for. We have spent the past year building the foundations, and bringing even deeper integration into our operations with Network Rail, with a single focus on what's right for our customers and communities. That work means customers are already getting a railway that's been transforming, and public ownership gives us the chance to go further to deliver the railway that millions of people across the South East deserve. Ana Christie, CEO of Sussex Chamber of Commerce said: I was delighted to attend the launch of Great British Railways at Brighton station and to have a discussion with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. This marks the launch of a greater joined-up railway, working in collaboration with business and other key stakeholders, to ensure challenges are addressed and progress is made to deliver a service fit for the future. I look forward to further conversations, ensuring business concerns are captured in fundamentally reforming the railway. As the government steams ahead with its bold rail reforms, passengers across Britain are already experiencing a better railway, with publicly owned DfT train operators performing better on punctuality and cancellations on average than those yet to come under DFTO ownership, as well as frozen rail fares for the first time in three decades. Other benefits of public ownership include:
GTR is the fifth operator to enter public ownership under the government's Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act, marking another step towards a simpler, more unified railway under GBR. GBR will be accountable to passengers and will drive a relentless focus on responding to their needs. Responsible for coordinating the whole network: from track and train, to cost and revenue – GBR will deliver lasting change and build a railway fit for Britain's future, owned by the public, for the public. GTR joins West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, c2c, South Western, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern and LNER which are currently managed by DfT Operator Limited (DFTO). Chiltern Railways' services will be next to transfer on 20 September 2026, followed by Great Western Railways on 13 December 2026, marking another significant step in the government's plans to bring services into public ownership. We expect the full public ownership programme to be completed by the end of 2027. |