On Sunday 26 May, South Western Railway (SWR) services became the first to transfer back into public control as the government begins its drive to renationalise the UK’s network under Great British Railways (GBR).
The 06.14 from London Waterloo to Shepperton was the first rebranded train out on Sunday as part of a publicly owned SWR.
Speaking from South Western Railway’s depot in Bournemouth, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was clear that operators will have to earn the right to be called “Great British Railways”. Starting with SWR, each operator will have to meet rigorous, bespoke performance standards in areas including like punctuality, cancellation, and passenger experience. This follows the passing of the Public Ownership Act in November.
She said: “Today is a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers. Trains from Waterloo to Weymouth, Bournemouth and Exeter, will be run by the public, for the public.
“But I know that most users of the railway don’t spend much time thinking about who runs the trains – they just want them to work. That’s why operators will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways.
“We have a generational opportunity to restore national pride in our railways and I will not waste it.”
Two thirds of Britons have already expressed their support for public ownership, which could save the taxpayer up to £150 million a year in fees alone. The new nationally-owned body GBR will manage track and train, with a sole focus of delivering for the public. As set out in the King’s Speech, we will introduce legislation to create Great British Railways this session.
All passenger services operating under contracts with the Department will return to public ownership by the end of 2027 and will eventually be integrated into Great British Railways. Services are being transferred after contracts reach the end of their minimum term, or where they can be ended early, ensuring taxpayers pay no additional costs for breaking contracts.
Lawrence Bowman, managing director of Southern Western Railway said: “I’m excited to join and lead the excellent team at South Western Railway, who come to work every day to deliver the best possible service for our customers, and moving into public ownership will make it easier for them to do so.
“My immediate priority is to work with colleagues to develop a plan for SWR, that will make the most of the new simpler industry processes to deliver improvements in reliability and an increase in capacity.
“Over the coming years I will focus on ensuring SWR moves into Great British Railways as a truly integrated industry-leading operation that delivers an excellent service to its passengers and the local communities we serve.”
Ben Plowden, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, commented: “Today marks a turning point for Britain’s railways and it’s good to see the Government’s plans for reforming the railways continuing at pace.
“The creation of Great British Railways presents a once in a generation opportunity to change how the rail system works – structurally, financially and operationally – and put passengers and freight operators first.”
Image credit: DfT