From this Sunday: London Northwestern and West Midlands trains become publicly owned

"From this Sunday, the thousands of passengers who travel with London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will be using services that are owned by the public and run with their interests at heart. We're working hard to reform a fragmented system and deliver a reliable railway that regenerates communities, rebuilds the trust of its passengers and delivers the high standards they rightly expect."

"Although they appear as separate companies to passengers, both are run by the same business, West Midlands Trains (WMT). Its contracts are now being terminated as part of the government's wider programme to nationalise England's passenger rail operators. From Sunday 1st February 2026, its services will be taken over by the government's in-house body, DfT Operator Limited (DFTO). For passengers, however, little will change immediately, with trains, timetables and frontline services expected to continue much as before in the short term."

Two train operators, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, will transfer into public ownership and be folded into the future Great British Railways network. The two brands cover large parts of the Midlands and the West Coast Main Line, linking Liverpool and Birmingham with London and operating local and regional routes across the West Midlands. Both brands are run by West Midlands Trains, whose contracts are being terminated under the government's nationalisation programme. From 1 February 2026, services will be taken over by DfT Operator Limited, with minimal immediate changes expected for passengers. Further nationalisations, including Govia Thameslink Railway on 31 May and later Chiltern and Great Western, will extend public control to the majority of passenger journeys overseen by the department.

Read at ianVisits