Great Western Railway move ‘should lead to better value fares’

GWR, with headquarters in Swindon, runs services linking London to the south-west of England and South Wales. It is expected to return to public ownership on December 13.

A spokesperson for the operator said they would continue to work closely with the Department for Transport (DfT).

GWR operates and manages Oxford’s railway station, where Network Rail is staging a multi-million pound revamp and is planning a new western entrance.

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Great Western Railway spokesman John Carter said: “We welcome the clarity provided by Friday’s announcement and will continue to work closely with the Department for Transport as we move into public ownership.

 “Throughout this process, our priority will be maintaining a punctual, reliable service for customers while continuing to support regional growth and connectivity across our network.”

Dave Richardson of Railfuture (Image: Contributed)

Dave Richardson, a spokesman for campaign group Railfuture, said: “We welcome any reform of how our railways are run that would lead to simpler and better value fares, which is part of the Great British Railways initiative.

“Bringing together GWR and the part of Network Rail responsible for its routes would also be welcome if it would deliver a more reliable railway.”

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The DfT described the move as a “significant moment”, adding it would place passengers, rather than shareholders, “at the heart of our railways”.

GWR’s services, which run from Taunton, Bristol, Gloucester and other major stations across the West and South Wales, will come under the control of the government’s new Great British Railways organisation.

GWR has been running trains across the south west of England for 20 years. The line it uses was built between Bristol and London by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1841.

Several rail operators are already publicly owned, including Greater Anglia and South Western Railway.

Rail services in Wales were nationalised in 2021 and Scotland took trains into public ownership the following year.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander warned last year that renationalising train services would not necessarily result in lower fares.

The focus will instead be on improving services and infrastructure.