Mayor welcomes public ownership for West’s trains
Great Western Railway (GWR) is set to be one of the next services brought back into public ownership, the Transport Secretary will announce in the coming days.
The Mayor of the West of England has been the first to welcome the news, which came ahead of a speech from Heidi Alexander on Tuesday.
Following the transfer back into public control of West Midlands Trains and Govia Thameslink Railway services by the middle of 2026, around eight in ten trains in the UK will be run by and for the public.
GWR’s franchised services are then expected to follow, with the exact date to be confirmed once a final decision has been taken and expiry notices have been issued.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:
“Across the country, more of the railways are being returned to the service of passengers. Here in the West, people will – like me – welcome the news from Heidi that trains are going to be run by the public, for the public.
“Since May, we have secured record transport funding for the West. That investment must make a difference that people can see and feel.
“Three-quarters of a billion pounds from government will help get our region moving and on track to catch up with other city-regions, with more trains as well as better buses, and an ambition for four trains an hour at stations across our growing suburban rail network.
“Just this week, our new regional Growth Strategy set out how important fixing transport is for our future – cutting congestion, increasing productivity, and cutting pollution. Bringing our trains back into public ownership, and bringing back trains between Bristol and Portishead as part of building five new stations in the coming years, will make a huge difference for passengers across the West Country.”
Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said:
"Taking Great Western Railways into public ownership will be a pivotal moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers.
"My dad was an electrical apprentice on our railway in Swindon, making sure things worked properly. It seems fitting that I will continue that work alongside Helen, as we rebuild a transport system fit for the future.
"It will take time, but we will sweep away decades of frustration, waste and pointless bureaucracy, and deliver a Great British Railway people can be proud of and rely on.”
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 became law in November, after being the first major Bill passed following the General Election, enabling Ministers to take back control as operators’ contracts expire.
New laws to establish Great British Railways, a new body that will take over day-to-day responsibility for operating the railways, will be introduced by the end of this year.
Five new stations are set to be built over the coming years in the West: Charfield, Henbury, North Filton, Pill, and Portishead. These add to the two new stations opened in recent years, including Ashley Down which tomorrow celebrates its first birthday and over 100,000 journeys. They form part of the region’s ambitious wider £400 million rail investment plan which includes building new stations and adding extra services.
