UK takes GTR into public ownership as fifth operator

GTR is responsible for one in six rail journeys in Britain; with the transfer, about eight in ten of the journeys that Great British Railways will ultimately be responsible for run under public control. Next in line were Chiltern Railways (20 September 2026) and Great Western Railway (13 December 2026), and the transfer of all contracted operators is due to be completed by the end of 2027.

On 31 May 2026 the GTR services (Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern, Gatwick Express) passed into public ownership and are run by the state-owned DfT Operator Limited; according to the Department for Transport, GTR is responsible for one in six rail journeys in the country and is the fifth operator to switch under the law nationalising passenger services. As a result, about eight in ten of the journeys that Great British Railways will ultimately be responsible for run under public control. The 100-day plan includes, among other things, twice as many Gatwick Express trains between Gatwick and London Victoria from December, plus 75 additional drivers at Thameslink and Great Northern, 40 more at Southern and Gatwick Express, and 110 travel safety officers. Chiltern Railways was scheduled to follow on 20 September 2026 and Great Western Railway on 13 December 2026, with the transfer of all contracted operators due to be complete by the end of 2027; freight, ScotRail, Transport for Wales and some regional railways are excluded (LOK Report, 1 Jun 2026; earlier report of 15 May 2026).