Southern train becomes the first to use Great British Railways colours

A Great British Railways-branded Class 387 train operated by Southern was unveiled in Brighton with red, white and blue livery. The train is numbered 387172 and can be tracked on RealTimeTrains. The branding is the first visible sign of Great British Railways, with plans to gradually apply the design to trains, station signs, and staff uniforms over coming months. The launch coincides with Govia Thameslink Railway joining public ownership on 31 May, shifting about 8 in 10 passenger journeys on the future GBR network to publicly owned services. The gradual rollout aims to avoid unnecessary costs by applying branding without repainting everything at once. The GBR brand will also appear on a new ticketing app for times, ticket purchases, and Passenger Assist booking.

"The new branding marks the first visible sign of Great British Railways on the railway network, with the government saying passengers will gradually start seeing the design appearing on trains, station signs and staff uniforms over the coming months. The launch also marks another step towards bringing Britain's railways under public ownership. GTR's transfer means that around 8 in 10 passenger journeys on the future GBR network will now be operated by publicly owned services."

"The government says the gradual rollout is intended to avoid unnecessary costs by gradually applying the branding rather than repainting trains all at once. Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: "The unveiling of the first GBR-branded train in Brighton today makes the future of Britain's railways a reality. It represents all of the work being done by staff up and down the country to fundamentally reform our railway.""

""This isn't just a paint job - it's an important step towards building a more joined‑up, publicly owned railway that puts passengers first, delivers better services and leaves the frustrations and fragmentation of the past behind." The GBR brand will also feature on the forthcoming GBR ticketing app - a one‑stop shop where passengers can check train times, buy tickets and book Passenger Assist."

"From 31st May, Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services will enter public ownership. GTR joins West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, c2c, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern, LNER and Sout"

Read at ianVisits