Great British Railways continues to take shape, with West Midlands Trains falling into public ownership.
West Midlands Trains is the operator of London Northwestern Railway, which operates services between Liverpool and Birmingham and along the West Coast Main Line to and from London Euston.
London Northwestern Railway Class 350/0 – Image, EconomyClass and Beyond
They also operate West Midlands Railway, which serves destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snow Hill.
West Midlands Railway Class 730/0 at Birmingham New Street – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
These services empower the Midlands’ economy and beyond, connecting people to work, education and opportunities every day.
West Midlands Trains is the fourth operator to enter public ownership under the government’s Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act, marking another step towards Great British Railways, coinciding with the government’s decision to freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years.
Its last operators under the previous franchising agreement were Transport UK Group (ex Abellio, Mitsui & Co and during the franchise, JR East).
During this time, the operator conducted some fleet renewal, with the Class 150 Sprinter units reintroduced on the Marsdon Vale Line (after Vivarail folded and the Class 230 D-Trains went with them), Class 196 Civity Diesel Multiple Units (to replace Class 153 Super Sprinters and Class 170 Turbostars) and Class 730 Aventra Electric Multiple Units in both a five-car configuration (replacing Class 350/2) and a three-car configuration (replacing the Class 323).
In Quotes
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:
From this Sunday, the thousands of passengers who travel with London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will be using services that are owned by the public and run with their interests at heart.
We’re working hard to reform a fragmented system and deliver a reliable railway that regenerates communities, rebuilds the trust of its passengers and delivers the high standards they rightly expect.
Ian McConnell, Managing Director of West Midlands Trains, said:
We are proud to be one of the fastest-growing train operators in the country, with millions of passengers travelling on London Northwestern Railway (LNR) and West Midlands Railway (WMR) services every month.
We’ve introduced more than 100 new trains as well as upgrading our depots and station facilities. We’re looking forward to opening five brand new stations later this year and we’re also rolling out ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ ticketing across 75 locations to enable seamless tap-in, tap-out travel for our customers.
Public ownership is an exciting opportunity to build on this success through a strong culture of collaboration and integration with the wider family of publicly owned operators.
Together, we can drive performance by sharing best practice and accelerating innovation and continue to deliver even better journeys for our passengers across the LNR and WMR networks.
We are now a step further on the journey to Great British Railways – a railway that we can be proud of and one that benefits the passengers and communities we serve.
Sarah Moorhouse, CEO of Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said:
Rail connectivity is crucial for businesses across the Black Country. Our businesses depend on these services to reach customers, access talent and connect with partners right across the region.
Having strong transport links across the West Midlands drives economic prosperity – they attract investment, support job creation and help our communities compete on a regional and national stage.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
For too long, passengers have had to put up with unreliable and overcrowded trains and a confusing ticket system run by companies that put profit before people.
Now we have a government which is delivering on its pledge to take public ownership and fix our broken railways. This is about more than a badge on the side of a train – and I will be working closely with ministers to improve West Midlands Railway services and raise standards.
And with my plans to take back control of our buses making good progress, we have an opportunity to create a truly integrated public transport system offering smooth, reliable and affordable journeys, whether passengers are travelling by train, bus or tram.
Mal Drury-Rose, Executive Director of the West Midlands Rail Executive, said:
We have a strong record of putting local communities at the heart of decisions about the rail network, and we look forward to continuing that work with government and industry, building on our extensive experience and investment in the region.
The transfer of West Midlands Railway services provides a clear platform for aligning customer priorities and regional ambitions to raise performance and improve the overall customer experience.
Moving the Great British Railways Agenda forward
West Midlands Trains joins Greater Anglia, c2c, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern, LNER and South Western Railway, which are currently managed by DfT Operator Limited (DFTO).
With the transfer of West Midlands Trains, 8 out of 14 passenger train operating companies that will run under Great British Railways are now in public ownership.
The next set of train companies moving back into public ownership includes Govia Thameslink Railway (covering the Gatwick Express, Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern. This is due to move back on the 31st May 2026.
Following GTR, Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railways services are then expected to follow, with the Secretary of State for Transport due to make final decisions on when exactly this will happen in due course.
The re-nationalisation programme (covering franchised rail operators) is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
This programme is being conducted in tandem with the legislation to establish Great British Railways, which will attempt to bring a simpler and more unified railway.
We’ll see how that works in the longer term and if it can truly deliver the passenger benefits promised.
As for cheaper fares… well, there’s no planned regulated fare rise this year. I’m taking it for what it’s worth.
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