The majority of Great Britain’s major rail operators are now in public ownership, as the Labour government continues its efforts to make the railways “more reliable, affordable and accessible”.
The nationalisation of Govia Thameslink on 31 May represents the eleventh major passenger service to be brought back into public ownership, leaving five to go before the government’s deadline of completing every operator by 2027.
The rollout, which is resulting in an operator being nationalised roughly every three months, is gradually bringing an end to a privatised system that critics argue has been overly fragmented and focused on profit, to the detriment of passenger experience.
