Great British Railways takes shape as more operators return to public hands

The creation of Great British Railways, the publicly owned body that will sit at the heart of a reformed network, is gathering momentum as further operators prepare to return to public ownership through 2026. The reform represents the most significant reshaping of Britain's railways in decades.

Under the plan, GBR will run most passenger services and manage the tracks, stations and depots currently overseen by Network Rail, bringing track and train back together under a single guiding mind for the first time since privatisation.

The Railways Bill, introduced in the House of Commons in November, provides the legal foundation for the new body. Headquartered in Derby, GBR is intended to simplify a fragmented system long criticised for confusing fares, poor accountability and disjointed planning.

Which operators are moving across

The transfer of services into public ownership is being staged operator by operator as existing contracts expire or are brought to an end. Several businesses returned to public hands during 2025, and more are scheduled to follow through 2026, with the largest operators among those due to make the switch.

Ministers say the phased approach avoids disruption to passengers and allows lessons to be learned as each operator is absorbed, rather than attempting a single overnight transition.

• GBR will run most passenger services and manage track, stations and depots.
• The body will be headquartered in Derby.
• Operators are being transferred into public ownership in stages.
• Several operators moved across in 2025, with more to follow in 2026.
• Full transition to a nationalised network targeted for completion by the end of 2027.

What it means for passengers

For passengers, the most visible promise of reform is a simpler, more reliable railway with clearer fares and a single point of accountability when things go wrong. Ministers argue that ending the patchwork of competing operators will make it easier to co-ordinate timetables, ticketing and investment.

Sceptics warn that public ownership is not a cure-all, and that the same underlying pressures of cost, capacity and industrial relations will persist regardless of who runs the trains. The recent wave of strikes, they note, has unfolded even as the transition proceeds.

A central early task for the new body will be untangling the railway's notoriously complex fares system, with ministers promising simpler pricing and a single national app and website for buying tickets. Reformers argue that ending the confusion of split tickets and inconsistent rules could rebuild trust as effectively as any change to who owns the trains.

“Bringing track and train together under one organisation is the chance of a generation to fix a system that has frustrated passengers for too long. The prize is a railway that is simpler, more reliable and run in the public interest.”

Concerns and challenges

Not everyone is convinced the reform will deliver. Open-access operators and freight customers have raised concerns about competition and fair access to the network, fearing that a dominant state body could squeeze out independent services.

There are also questions over the railway's finances. With regulated fares frozen and substantial subsidy still flowing into the network, GBR will inherit a challenging balance sheet from its first day of operation.

“Public ownership must not mean a closed shop. Freight and open-access operators bring choice and innovation, and the new structure has to guarantee them fair access to the tracks.”

Background

The case for reform grew out of years of criticism of the privatised railway, which separated the companies running trains from the body maintaining the infrastructure. A major review recommended bringing the two back together under a single public body, and successive governments have pursued versions of that goal.

Great British Railways is the culmination of that effort, with the Railways Bill providing the statutory basis for the new organisation and its powers.

What happens next: the Railways Bill will continue its passage through Parliament while operators are transferred into public ownership on a rolling basis. With the full transition targeted for the end of 2027, the coming months will test whether the new structure can begin to deliver the simpler, more reliable railway ministers have promised.