Your FAQ's

Nationalising train operators was a Labour manifesto commitment. It is also part of Labour’s wider rail reform plans, which will be implemented through a separate Railways Bill (PDF). The DfT said it will consult on that bill “around the turn of the year” and expects to introduce it in the summer of 2025.

All train operators with contracts with the DfT will be nationalised using powers in the 2024 Act. The 2024 Act does not affect:

• open access operators such as Lumo, Grand Central and Hull Trains
• operators with contracts with the Scottish or Welsh governments: ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper and Transport for Wales (which are all already in the public sector)
• operators with contracts with devolved administrations in England: London Overground, Elizabeth Line and Merseyrail

In addition, four operators are already in the public sector:

• London North Eastern Railway
• Northern
• Southeastern
• TransPennine Express

As it currently stands, Rolling stock leasing companies (which own the trains) and freight operators (which run services carrying goods rather than passengers) will also not be nationalised.

South Western Railway, which First Group and MTR currently run, will be transferred to the DfTO in May 2025. SWR operates on routes in the south of England, including London Waterloo, Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, Reading and Exeter.

Two more London commuter services will be soon taken into public hands. London-Essex service C2C is expected to be nationalised in July 2025, while Greater Anglia – which operates in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire – should be publicly owned by autumn 2025. 

After the Royal Assent of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill 2024, the Department for Transport directed the DfT Operator, a publicly owned company, to take over the ownership responsibilities of train operators in England. 

Previously known as DfT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL), when it was set up by the Department for Transport in 2019, the company was renamed DfT Operator in December 2024. 

The forthcoming Railways Bill will then create Great British Railways, which will be responsible for running train services as well as managing railway infrastructure. 

DfT Operator is a publicly owned company. Following the Royal Assent of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill 2024, the Department for Transport instructed DfT Operator to assume responsibility for train operators’ ownership in England.

Formerly known as DfT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL), the Department for Transport established DfT Operator in 2019. 

While the process to create GBR has already begun, with the renationalisation of individual franchises to the DfTO, the full integration of all these services into a single, unified "Great British Railway" is anticipated to complete in late 2026

Great British Railways (GBR) is set to become the new “directing mind” of the rail network in Great Britain, effectively taking on many of the roles currently performed by Network Rail. Rather than simply replacing Network Rail overnight, GBR will be established in stages—initially through a "Shadow GBR" phase—with its functions gradually absorbing and integrating those of Network Rail. Over time, GBR will own and manage most of the railway infrastructure and assume operational and commercial responsibilities.

Ownership changes are not new in the rail industry, and TSSA has supported thousands of its members through these processes. We are committed to working with the government and employers to ensure that our members' interests are protected during this transition and, where applicable, that full consultation is adhered to under TUPE regulations. For more help and support, contact your local staff rep.

TUPE stands for the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. This UK law safeguards employees' rights when a business, service, or contract is transferred to a new employer. Find out more here

You can find more help and support on our relevant TUPE webpage; additionally, visit the ACAS website, which summarises the TUPE process. TSSA representatives employed by Train Operating Companies who will be transferred to DFTO will be invited to relevant training.