The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that Greater Anglia, West Midlands Trains and Govia Thameslink Railway services will all transfer into public ownership by the end of May 2026.

The move represents a milestone in the establishment of Great British Railways, with all passenger services under contracts set to return to public ownership by the end of 2027.

By the middle of next year, more than half of all rail journeys in Great Britain will be under public ownership

© Department for Transport

Currently, services are being transferred once contracts reach the end of their minimum term, ensuring a lack of any additional cost to taxpayers for the early breaking of contracts.

Greater Anglia, West Midlands Trains and Govia Thameslink Railway will transfer their services on 12 October 2025, 1 February 2026 and 31 May 2026, respectively.

The transfer will mean that by Summer 2026, 8 in 10 passenger rail journeys handled by the DfT will be owned by the public.

Following the transfer of the three companies’ services, Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railways services are set to follow.

This far, Southeastern and LNER have been transferred to public ownership.

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