Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has welcomed Chiltern Railways' return to public ownership, saying the move will allow the Government to focus more directly on reliability, passenger experience and the long-term reform of Britain's railways.
Chiltern Railways will transfer into public ownership on Sunday 20 September, becoming the latest operator to move into the public sector under Labour's rail programme.
Alexander said:
"From this Sunday, Chiltern passengers will travel on services back in public hands."
She added:
"Each step in renationalising the railway enables us to tackle what people care about most - better and more reliable services."
The Transport Secretary said the Government was seeking to build "a railway that puts passengers, not profit first".
25 more daily services planned
The Department for Transport says Chiltern passengers will see 25 additional daily services from December, alongside cleaner stations, upgraded trains and improved onboard Wi-Fi.
The operator connects London with communities across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands, including services through Birmingham, Oxford, High Wycombe and Aylesbury.
Chiltern has been operated by Arriva since 2011. From Sunday, its passenger services will instead be run through the Government-owned DfT Operator Limited.
Latest stage of Labour's public ownership programme
The transfer follows the return of Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services to public ownership in May.
Government plans envisage the remaining contracted passenger operators transferring into public ownership in stages, with Great Western Railway due to follow on 13 December 2026 and the overall programme expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The Government says around eight in ten passenger journeys that will ultimately fall within the remit of Great British Railways are already being operated by publicly owned companies.
Great British Railways still to come
Public ownership is only one part of the Government's wider rail reforms.
The Railways Bill currently progressing through Parliament is intended to establish Great British Railways, bringing responsibility for tracks and trains into a more integrated national system.
Ministers argue that the current structure, in which responsibility is divided between multiple organisations, has made it harder to improve performance and give passengers clear accountability.
The Government has acknowledged, however, that changing ownership alone will not automatically improve services. Alexander has previously said wider structural reform is needed to address cancellations, reliability and the fragmentation of the network.
Fare freeze alongside ownership changes
The public ownership programme is also taking place alongside the Government's decision to freeze regulated rail fares this year, which ministers estimate will save passengers around £600 million.
The Government says the combination of fare restraint, public ownership and the creation of Great British Railways is intended to produce a more reliable and accountable railway.
Alexander: focus must be on passengers
For Alexander, the Chiltern transfer is another milestone in that programme.
The Government's test will now be whether public ownership translates into the improvements passengers notice most directly - fewer cancellations, more reliable services, cleaner trains and stations, and a network that is easier to use.
