Chiltern Railways will transfer into public ownership on Sunday, becoming the sixth operator to do so, the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed. The move will bring 25 extra daily services from December and 10,000 additional seats every weekday, according to the DfT.
Extra services and new trains from December
The DfT said the 25 extra weekday services will include half-hourly trains on the Chiltern Mainline between London and Birmingham. Six state-of-the-art Chiltern Explorer trains will also be in operation from December, featuring better air-conditioning and wi-fi.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said the move, which was confirmed in May, will give passengers more frequent and comfortable trains that turn up on time. He said: "Every transfer into public ownership gives us the chance to tackle the bread-and-butter issues people care about – more frequent, comfortable trains that turn up on time."
Carriage improvements and station upgrades
The government has pledged that all carriages will be improved by 2028, with charging points at every seat after a £12 million refurbishment. Stations will also see improvements, including more parking spaces at Haddenham and Thame Parkway, the DfT said.
Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: "Sunday is a significant milestone for Chiltern Railways and we look forward to working together with the wider rail industry to deliver a better railway for everyone in Great Britain."
Further transfers and national operator plans
Chiltern follows South Western Railway, c2c, Greater Anglia, West Midlands Trains and Govia Thameslink into public ownership. On December 13, Great Western Railway will become the seventh, with all operators set to be in public hands by the end of 2027.
The government says bringing track and train services under one organisation will make the network more efficient and result in problems being fixed faster.
