UK: The Secretary of State for Transport has issued an contract expiry notice confirming that train operator Greater Anglia is to be nationalised from October 12.
The passing of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 provided the legal framework for train operators with Department for Transport contracts to transfer to the public sector. Under the terms of their National Rail Contracts, the Secretary of State can give an operator at least three Railway Periods’ notice (usually 12 weeks) to end the contract, provided this is no earlier than the contract’s Core Term Expiry Date and coincides with the end of a Railway Period.
The nationalised services will be managed by DfT Operator Ltd, which already runs LNER, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express and will eventually be integrated into the future Great British Railways.
In December 2024 DfT confirmed that South Western Railway would be the first operator to transfer on May 25 2025, followed by Trenitalia’s c2c services on July 20 and Transport UK’s Greater Anglia in ‘autumn 2025’. The date for Greater Anglia has now been confirmed.
On May 9 a Department for Transport spokesperson told Rail Business UK ‘bringing services into public ownership will enable us to join up track and train and deliver the best value for taxpayers in the longer term. We are already improving services and will save up to £150m/year in fees — money that will not go back to private shareholders. We are working closely with operators to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for passengers.’
Greater Anglia’s parent company Transport UK had been calling for other, worse performing operators to transfer first. When the date was confirmed, a spokesperson said ’despite having other valid options for which operator to nationalise next, we are disappointed that the government has decided to go ahead with Greater Anglia, which is out-performing other railways and generating income for the taxpayer.
’We are also concerned that this decision creates unnecessary risk, such as slowing the pace of service improvements and jeopardising taxpayer revenue, given that Great British Railways has yet to be established, and its functions currently fall to the temporary DfT Operator.
‘Nevertheless, we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition to public ownership in October and have both the plans and expertise in place to deliver this. In the meantime, we will continue to provide safe, punctual, and effective services for passengers in the East Anglia region.’
The company said ‘under Transport UK ownership, Greater Anglia implemented a £2bn investment programme, introduced an entirely new fleet of bi-mode trains and collaborated with local stakeholders to improve our environmental performance and community impact. We oversaw a rise in punctuality that took Greater Anglia from 16th place in the UK to first in 2024.’
