Great British Railways: Marketing
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure has been incurred to date on the introduction of the Great British Railways brand; what estimate she has made of the cost of implementing that brand across the rail network; how much of that expenditure relates to (i) train repainting and livery, (ii) station signage, (iii) staff uniforms, (iv) marketing and communications, (v) digital services and ticketing applications and (vi) consultancy and design services; and over what period those costs will be incurred.
Answered by Keir Mather
The introduction of the Great British Railways (GBR) brand marks a move to the railway putting passengers and the public interest first. It is being designed to maximise opportunities to grow revenue while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. We are also moving away from the frequent brand changes we have previously seen as franchises changed hands every few years under privatisation.
Implementation of the brand will be gradual and designed to minimise unnecessary expenditure, with the brand unveiled in December 2025 developed in-house and the two trains currently under the new GBR livery have been delivered at no additional cost to the public purse. This will include primarily repainting trains when they are already due to be repainted, and changing station signage and other assets when they are life expired or otherwise due for replacement through routine maintenance cycles.
Using this approach, we do not expect significant additional costs in introducing the GBR brand. The Department will continue to ensure that the application of the GBR brand delivers value for money and avoids unnecessary cost to the public purse.
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