Once Greater Anglia’s services transfer to state control on Sunday, Oct. 12, half of Britain’s rail operators will be publicly owned, officials said.
The move makes Greater Anglia the third operator brought under public ownership through the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act. Proponents want the public to believe it is another step toward a simpler, more unified network under Great British Railways.
Greater Anglia joins c2c, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern, LNER and South Western Railway, which DfT Operator Limited currently operates.
Officials say Greater Anglia, consistently ranked among the country’s better-performing operators, will continue to focus on reliability and customer service while engaging with local communities and sharing best practices with other publicly run services. The company’s operations are expected to form part of the backbone of the future Great British Railways structure, which aims to place passengers at the center of planning and day-to-day decision-making.
The transfer is part of the government’s wider Plan for Change, intended to deliver a more accountable, efficient and dependable rail system that supports local growth opportunities. Ministers have framed the public ownership program as a way to streamline oversight, reduce fragmentation and prepare for Great British Railways’s role coordinating timetables, fares and investment.
Further details on integration milestones and performance targets are expected as the transition progresses, with the government positioning the Greater Anglia handover as proof of momentum toward the GBR model.
