First renationalised train service starts today – but not how you’d have hoped…
South Western Railway (SWR) has been renationalised this weekend as part of the government’s transition towards Great British Railways.
The train operator officially came under public ownership at around 2am on Sunday – and the first journey, the 5.36am from Woking, was partly a rail replacement bus service due to engineering works.
So what difference will renationalisation make to passengers and will journeys be cheaper?
Pic: PA
What is nationalisation?
Nationalisation means the government taking control of industries or companies, taking them from private to public ownership.
Britain’s railway lines are currently run by train operating companies as franchises under fixed-term contracts, but Labour have said they want to take control of the lines when those fixed terms end.
In its manifesto, the party vowed to return rail journeys to public ownership within five years by establishing Great British Railways (GBR) to run both the network tracks and trains.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said renationalising SWR was “a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers”.
“But I know that most users of the railway don’t spend much time thinking about who runs the trains – they just want them to work,” she added. “That’s why operators will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways.”
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How reliable are UK trains?
How will ticket prices be affected?
Labour have argued cutting off payments flowing into the private sector could save the taxpayer £150m a year.
But the government has not explicitly promised the savings made from nationalisation will be used to subsidise fees.
It is unlikely rail fares will fall as a result of nationalisation, rail analyst William Barter told Sky News.
“The government could mandate fare cuts if it wanted to, but there’s no sign it wants to,” he said.
“At the moment, I’m sure they would want to keep the money rather than give it back to passengers. The current operator aims to maximise revenue, and there’s no reason the government would want them to do anything differently under government control.”
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UK has most expensive train tickets in Europe
What difference will it make for passengers?
Britain’s railways are frequently plagued by delays, cuts to services and timetable issues, but Mr Barter said nationalisation will make very little day-to-day difference to passengers.
There was “no reason to think” the move would improve issues around delays and cancellation of services, he said.
“It’s going to be the same people, the same management,” he explained.
“The facts of what the operator has to deal with in terms of revenue, infrastructure, reliability, all the rest of it – they haven’t changed.”
Pic: PA
Which services are being next to be nationalised?
In the longer term, the move is likely to bring “a degree of certainty compared with relatively short-term franchises”, Mr Barter said, noting the government would only want to renationalise a franchise “because in one way or another something very bad is going on in that franchise, so in a way it can only get better”.
It also means the government will have greater accountability for fixing problems with punctuality and cancellations.
Mr Barter said: “If this is the government’s baby, then they’re going to do their best to make sure it doesn’t fail. So rather than having a franchise holder they can use as a political scapegoat, it’s theirs now.”
He added: “In the short term, I don’t think you’d expect to see any sort of change. Long term, you’ll see stability and integration bringing about gradual benefits. There’s not a silver bullet of that sort here.”
Next to be renationalised later this year will be c2c and Greater Anglia, while seven more companies will transfer over when their franchises end in the future.
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Politics
JD Vance warns against UK going down ‘dark path’ of losing free speech during meeting with David Lammy
JD Vance has said he does not want the UK to go down a “very dark path” of losing free speech during a meeting with the foreign secretary at his country estate.
The US vice president has previously raised concerns that free speech is being eroded in the UK.
However, during a two-day visit to David Lammy’s grace and favour 115-room mansion, Chevening House in Kent, Mr Vance kept his criticism a bit more low key.
Asked about free speech in the UK during a televised meeting of the two men, Mr Vance said he has “raised concerns” about free speech in his own country and accused the West of “censoring rather than engaging” with different opinions.
He said: “I think the entire collective West, the transatlantic relationship, our NATO allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration, got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions. So that’s been my view.
“Obviously, I’ve raised some criticism, concerns about our friends on this side of the Atlantic.
“But the thing that I’d say to the people of England or anybody else, to David, is many of the things that I worry most about were happening in the United States from 2020 to 2024.
“I just don’t want other countries to follow us down what I think was a very dark path under the Biden administration.”
Mr Lammy, who has struck up the unlikely relationship over the past few months, did not comment on Mr Vance’s indirect criticism.
The two politicians went fishing on the Chevening estate. Pic: Reuters
Mr Vance revealed he caught a few fish but Mr Lammy was not so successful. Pic: Reuters
In February, when Sir Keir Starmer was carrying out a similar televised meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Mr Vance said “infringements on free speech” now do not just affect the British, but also American tech companies – “and by extension American citizens”.
Sir Keir quickly interjected, saying: “We’ve had free speech for a very long time, it will last a long time, and we are very proud of that.”
Mr Vance and his family are staying with Mr Lammy at Chevening for two days before heading to the Cotswolds for a summer holiday.
The vice president was effusive in his praise for the grand estate that comes with Mr Lammy’s job, saying “being here lifts up the human spirit” as he thanked the “people of England” for having such a “beautiful place for foreigners like me to come and talk about the issues of the day”.
He added that he “loves the UK”.
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The two politicians went fishing ahead of their meeting, with Mr Vance revealing he caught a few, while all three of his children caught a fish but Mr Lammy did not.
He also said his children had fallen asleep on the floor of the large house, and his three-year-old daughter kept asking if she would see Mr Lammy’s daughter.
Mr Lammy posted a picture of him and Mr Vance laughing as they fished, saying it was a “real pleasure” to welcome the Vance family and the vice president “gave me fishing tips, Kentucky style”.
JD Vance confirmed he will holiday in Scotland next week in a trip that could see up to 1,000 police officers deployed as part of security efforts.
He confirmed his Scottish trip during talks with Mr Lammy on Friday.
Sky News understands the Vance family are likely to visit Ayrshire, the same area where Mr Trump recently stayed where he secured a trade deal with the European Union.
Police sources have suggested approximately 1,000 officers will be working across the visit to ensure the vice president and his loved ones are safe, Sky News’ Scotland correspondent Conner Gillies reported.
Police Scotland declined to comment on the specifics.
It is understood the Vance family will not be staying at Trump Turnberry, the luxury Ayrshire resort owned by the US president himself.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Planning is under way for a potential visit to Scotland by the vice president of the United States.
“Details of any visit would be for the White House to comment on, however it is important that we prepare in advance for what would be a significant policing operation.”
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