London (AFP) – Britain’s railways will feature trains painted in the red, white, and blue of the nation’s Union Flag as underperforming train operators return to state ownership, the UK government announced Tuesday. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour administration has made the renationalisation of privatised train companies a priority since returning to power in July 2025, with a pledge to tackle delays to journeys and high ticket prices.
“This isn’t just a paint job,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, unveiling the new branding for trains, set to be brought in from around March 2026. “It represents a new railway, casting off the frustrations of the past and focused entirely on delivering a proper public service for passengers,” she added in her statement.
Owing to poor service, some train operators already entered state ownership under the previous Conservative government. “Seven major train operators are already in public hands, covering a third of all passenger journeys in Great Britain,” the Labour administration said Tuesday.
Labour is creating “Great British Railways,” a public-sector body, to run the new setup, while finance minister Rachel Reeves announced in her recent budget that rail fares would be frozen next year.
Privatisation of Britain’s rail operations occurred in the mid-1990s under the Conservative prime minister John Major, but rail tracks and stations remained publicly owned.
© 2024 AFP
