3 RAIL OPERATORS ARE SET TO BE RENATIONALISED – The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 passed allows the move
Labour plans to renationalise three rail operators next year after passing a law enabling the move.
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, approved last week, allows the government to fulfill its manifesto pledge to bring rail services back into public ownership as private franchises expire over the next five years.
According to the Department for Transport, South Western Railways will return to public ownership in May 2025, followed by C2C in July 2025 and Greater Anglia in autumn 2025.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated, “The primary goal is to enhance reliability and address the delays, cancellations, waste, and inefficiency that have plagued the system over the past 30 years.”
This initiative forms part of Labour’s broader strategy to renationalise rail services as operator contracts conclude or reach break points.
Currently, Britain’s railways are managed by private train operators under fixed-term franchise agreements.
