Another rail operator has transferred back to government ownership, with Greater Anglia making the move.
The transfer took place on the 12th October.
Greater Anglia’s services will become the third to enter public ownership under the government’s Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act, marking another step towards a simpler, more unified railway under Great British Railways. It marks the halfway point of franchised operators being transferred from private ownership back into public hands.
During this time, the Greater Anglia area has been running under private ownership (notable operators being First Great Eastern, Anglia, WAGN, One Railway (National Express East Anglia), Abellio Greater Anglia and finally Transport UK Greater Anglia).
In recent years, there has been a service transformation, with older British Rail rolling stock being cast aside, with Class 720s being used for London commuter trains.
Class 745 trains for the Norwich and Stansted Airport routes
And Bi-mode Class 755 trains for regional and intercity routes.
Greater Anglia, since its fleet renewal, has been rated as one of the best train operating companies, with the intention of keeping this momentum, with the operator running punctual services, with 93.9% of trains arriving within 3 minutes between April 2024 and March 2025.
With government support, Greater Anglia will continue to deliver regional growth with 2 new stations opening – Beaulieu Park this month and Cambridge South early next year – which will support the delivery of thousands of new homes, as well as schools and employment space.
Ahead of the establishment of GBR, integrated leadership teams are being set up across publicly owned train operators and Network Rail routes to increase collaboration and accountability, delivering improvements for passengers and freight users.
In Quotes
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:
From this Sunday, passengers commuting into Norwich or heading for a day out in Cambridge will be travelling on services that are owned by the public and run with their interests front of mind.
We’re reforming a fragmented system and laying the foundations for a more reliable, efficient and accountable railway – one that puts passengers first and delivers the high standards they rightly expect.
Martin Beable, Managing Director, Greater Anglia, said:
At Greater Anglia, we’re proud to be one of the highest performing UK train operators in the country, recently recognised with the Passenger Operator of the Year award for the second year running. We’ve introduced new trains on every service, enhanced accessibility across our network and welcomed more local passengers than ever before – achievements made possible by the dedication of our people.
Moving into public ownership is an exciting opportunity to build on this success. By working more closely with the wider family of publicly owned operators, we can share expertise, drive innovation and deliver even better journeys for our passengers across the Anglia region.
This transition also brings us one step closer to Great British Railways – a simpler, more unified network that puts passengers at its heart. Together, we can create a railway that drives growth, sustainability and pride for the communities we serve and right across the UK.
What is and what isn’t under pubic ownership?
At this point in the cycle, as HM Government is bringing passenger services back under public ownership, it’s a good time to take stock of which operators are under Government control, what’s in private hands and what is operated as a concession.
Train companies that have returned to public ownership include:
- c2c – operating trains on the Essex Thameside.
- Northern – operating local and regional trains in the North of England.
- TransPennine Express – Operating Express trains across the Pennines to the North of England and Scotland.
- Southeastern – Operating commuter and express trains in the south-east of England.
- LNER (London North Eastern Railway) operates express services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line.
- South Western Railway – operating services, both express and commuter services, from London Waterloo to Portsmouth, Southampton, Weymouth, Salisbury and Exeter St Davids.
In addition, Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper are managed by the Scottish Government, whilst Transport for Wales (Trains) is managed by the Welsh Government.
Other services that are managed as concessions include:
- MerseyRail is operated as a concession from the Liverpool City Region by Transport UK/Serco.
- London Overground is operated by Arriva Rail London for Transport for London.
- The Elizabeth Line is operated by GTS Rail operations, comprising Go-Ahead Group, Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation.
Joining them in the near future are two more. They are
- West Midlands Trains services will transfer on 1 February 2026 (covering local services from London Euston, as well as regional services in the West Midlands – operating both West Midlands Railway and London North Western Railway)
- Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) services follow on 31 May 2026 (covering services operated by Southern Railway (London Victoria to the South Coast), Gatwick Express (the express service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and Brighton), the Thameslink Network (Covering services operating through the north-south axis of London), and Great Northern (operating commuter and express services from London Kings Cross).
Lined up after these are Great Western Railway and Chiltern Railways
This leaves Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway as the last franchises to be left in private ownership for now.
Open Access operators (including Lumo, Grand Central, Heathrow Express and First Hull Trains), as well as railtour operators (such as West Coast Railways, Locomotive Services Limited) and Freight services (such as Freightliner and DB Schenker) are unaffected.
As the way the railways change, there is the hope that we see improvements – be it on-time departures and arrivals and dread the thought, lower fares.
For now, the Government still wants to make its Great British Railway idea work. We’ll have to see how far they go in the lifetime of this current parliament.
Economy Class and Beyond is brought to you by Kevin. They provide a no-nonsense guide to aviation network news, passenger experience insights, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon and Instagram!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
Leave a Reply