Passengers using London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will see their services return to public ownership from Sunday, 1 February 2026, marking

another major step towards a simpler and more integrated national rail system under Great British Railways.

The transfer brings the two operators into public hands as part of the government’s wider rail reform programme, with more than 8,500 publicly owned train services now running every day across the country. These services support more than 660 million passenger journeys each year, linking communities to jobs, education and opportunity from Liverpool to London and throughout the Midlands.

From Sunday, publicly owned operators will account for half of all rail journeys that Great British Railways (GBR) will ultimately oversee. The move is being positioned as a significant milestone in the creation of a unified, passenger-focused rail network designed to deliver more reliable, affordable and better-connected services.

The change brings both sides of the West Midlands Trains (WMT) business into public ownership. London Northwestern Railway operates long-distance and inter-urban routes between Liverpool, Birmingham and London Euston along the West Coast Main Line, while West Midlands Railway provides regional and local services across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snow Hill.

Together, the services play a central role in powering the regional economy, helping people access work, education and housing while supporting growth across major towns and cities. Improved rail connectivity is seen as a catalyst for development, encouraging investment, job creation and stronger local economies across the Midlands and beyond.

West Midlands Trains becomes the fourth operator to transfer into public ownership under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act. The move coincides with the government’s decision to freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years and aligns with plans to establish Great British Railways as the single body responsible for the whole network, from infrastructure and operations to costs and revenue.

GBR will be directly accountable to passengers and tasked with driving improvements across the rail system, with a stated focus on reliability, safety and value for money. Ministers say the reforms are designed to rebuild trust in the railway and deliver long-term change.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “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”.

Ian McConnell, Managing Director of West Midlands Trains, said: “We are proud to be one of the fastest-growing train operators in the country, with millions of passengers travelling on London Northwestern Railway (LNR) and West Midlands Railway (WMR) services every month. 

We’ve introduced more than 100 new trains as well as upgrading our depots and station facilities. We’re looking forward to opening five brand new stations later this year and we’re also rolling out ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ ticketing across 75 locations to enable seamless tap-in, tap-out travel for our customers.

Public ownership is an exciting opportunity to build on this success through a strong culture of collaboration and integration with the wider family of publicly owned operators.

Together, we can drive performance by sharing best practice and accelerating innovation and continue to deliver even better journeys for our passengers across the LNR and WMR networks.

We are now a step further on the journey to Great British Railways – a railway that we can be proud of and one that benefits the passengers and communities we serve”.

Sarah Moorhouse, CEO of Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said: “Rail connectivity is crucial for businesses across the Black Country. Our businesses depend on these services to reach customers, access talent and connect with partners right across the region.

Having strong transport links across the West Midlands drives economic prosperity – they attract investment, support job creation and help our communities compete on a regional and national stage”.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

“For too long, passengers have had to put up with unreliable and overcrowded trains and a confusing ticket system run by companies that put profit before people.

Now we have a government which is delivering on its pledge to take public ownership and fix our broken railways. This is about more than a badge on the side of a train – and I will be working closely with ministers to improve West Midlands Railway services and raise standards.

And with my plans to take back control of our buses making good progress, we have an opportunity to create a truly integrated public transport system offering smooth, reliable and affordable journeys, whether passengers are travelling by train, bus or tram”.

Mal Drury-Rose, Executive Director of the West Midlands Rail Executive, said:

“We have a strong record of putting local communities at the heart of decisions about the rail network, and we look forward to continuing that work with government and industry, building on our extensive experience and investment in the region.

The transfer of West Midlands Railway services provides a clear platform for aligning customer priorities and regional ambitions to raise performance and improve the overall customer experience”.

According to government data, passengers elsewhere in the country are already seeing benefits from public ownership. On average, publicly owned Department for Transport operators perform better on punctuality and cancellations than those still run under private contracts. South Western Railway has significantly increased the number of new trains in service since transferring, while Northern is investing in driver training and planning its largest ever fleet renewal. Ticket acceptance across publicly owned operators during disruption has also been expanded at no extra cost to passengers.

West Midlands Trains now joins Greater Anglia, c2c, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern, LNER and South Western Railway under the management of DfT Operator Limited. Govia Thameslink Railway services are due to transfer next on 31 May 2026, with Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railway expected to follow. The government aims to complete the full public ownership programme by the end of 2027.

With eight of the 14 future Great British Railways passenger operators now publicly owned, ministers say momentum is building behind plans to overhaul Britain’s railways. Legislation to formally establish Great British Railways is continuing through Parliament, setting the framework for a more unified system designed to deliver consistent standards and better journeys for passengers nationwide.

Note: Tables 3124 and 3138 in the ORR performance data show that, on average, publicly owned DfT train operators perform better on punctuality and cancellations than those yet to come under DfT ownership.