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Railways: Nationalisation

Asked by Andrew CooperLabourDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 16 July 2026UIN 901065

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on bringing the rail network into public ownership.

Answered by Keir Mather

I’m very pleased to tell my Hon Friend that the Government has made significant progress.

This year, London Northwestern Railway, which serves my Honourable friend’s constituents, West Midlands Railway and the largest operator, GTR, have come back into public ownership. Chiltern services will follow in September and, in December, GWR. Over half of all train operators are now publicly owned.

Passengers are already feeling the benefits. On average, DFTO trains perform better on punctuality and cancellations.

And overall, the reliability of our railway is improving, with cancellation rates falling in the last year.

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