Plan for taking more UK TOCs into public ownership published

The UK government has announced its plans to renationalise three Train Operating Companies (TOCs) under the new Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act.

South Western Railway, C2C and Greater Anglia are to be brought under government control in 2025.

The strategic move is part of a broader effort to reform and invest in the rail sector, fostering growth and uniting track and train operations under a single entity, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

The reforms were first introduced in September by former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh who resigned last week. The work is being continued under Heidi Alexander, the new Transport minister.

The shift to public ownership is expected to “improve reliability and support the government’s number one priority of boosting economic growth by encouraging more people to use the railway,” DfT said.

The change is intended to address long-standing issues of delays, cancellations, and inefficiencies that have plagued the railway under private franchise contracts.