LONDON — Britain’s largest train operator will transfer into public ownership on Sunday, May 31, as the government continues its push to bring passenger rail services under state control.
Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, is responsible for about one in six passenger rail journeys in Britain. The Department for Transport said the transfer means publicly owned operators will deliver about eight in 10 passenger journeys that Great British Railways is eventually expected to oversee.
The government said the move is intended to create more reliable and passenger-focused service across the South East and East of England. GTR will become the fifth operator to enter public ownership under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act.
A 100-day plan for the newly public operator includes doubling Gatwick Express services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria from December, adding more early morning services on Saturdays and Mondays beginning this summer, and starting additional Great Northern services in December.
The plan also includes recruiting more train crew, with 75 additional drivers expected across Thameslink and Great Northern this year and another 40 at Southern and Gatwick Express. Officials said the added staffing is intended to improve crew availability and reduce cancellations.
Other planned improvements include refreshing Thameslink train toilets, training 110 Travel Safe Officers to support revenue protection and security, upgrading a secondary signaling system between Farringdon and Blackfriars, and introducing a WhatsApp channel for customer support during disruptions.
The transfer follows the unveiling of the first Great British Railways-branded train at Brighton station. The government said GTR services contributed £3.2 billion to the UK economy and supported 40,000 jobs in 2025.
GTR joins West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, c2c, South Western Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern and LNER under DfT Operator Limited. Chiltern Railways is scheduled to transfer on Sept. 20, followed by Great Western Railway on Dec. 13.
The government expects the full public ownership program to be completed by the end of 2027.
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