Major train operator announces ‘significant’ change | UK | News
Great Western Railway trains at London’s Paddington Station (Image: Getty)
A major railway operator The project, which connects London and Western England, will be re-nationalised at the end of 2026. “an important moment”. On Friday 8 May, it was announced that Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander had exercised her contractual right to issue an end-of-end notice to Great Western Railway (GWR) and confirm that its contract with the Department for Transport (DfT) will conclude on 13 December 2026.
The government says that after that period the services will come into public ownership and come under the control of Great British Railways, a newly created body that will “bring passengers and trains together, put passengers and customers first, rebuild confidence in the railway and operate the majority of passenger services under public ownership and control”.
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It joins a number of other services by coming into public ownership. (Image: Getty)
GWR, headquartered in Swindon, was privatized as part of the privatization of British Rail in early 1996. CornwallLive reports. Originally operating as Great Western Trains, in 1998 it became First Great Western, a franchise operated by FirstGroup. It was later rebranded as GWR in 2015.
The company, which has services connecting London to multiple stations in the West of England, South West England and South Wales, will join a number of other major State-owned operators including South Western Railway, West Midlands Trains and others, according to BBC News.
A DfT spokesman said: “This is another important moment for the Government’s flagship public ownership program and brings a simpler, more reliable network across Great British Railways a step closer.
“The government is delivering on its commitment to bring services back into public ownership and put passengers, not shareholders, at the heart of our railways.”
A spokesman for GWR said: “We welcome the clarity provided by today’s announcement and will continue to work closely with the Department for Transport as we transition into public ownership.
“Our priority throughout this process will be to maintain punctual, reliable service to our customers while continuing to support regional growth and connectivity across our network.”
Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England Combined Authority, said: “I’m sure anyone in the West who rides the train like me will welcome this news.
“We need a working transport network and bringing trains back into public ownership will put people’s needs at the heart of British Railways.
“As with three-quarters of the quarter of a billion pounds already secured from the government for better transport for the West of England, this is a big deal and should make a difference that people can see and feel.”
The GWR was designed by the famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel to be an “iron racetrack” and became the world’s first high-speed railway when it opened in the 1830s.
