November 2025
RMT Policy Briefing: Great British Railways Update – Railways Bill published “We will put passengers at the heart of the service by reforming the railways and bringing them into public ownership. We will do this as contracts with existing operators expire or are broken through a failure to deliver, without costing taxpayers a penny in compensation. Great British Railways will deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility.” Labour Party Manifesto, 2024 The Labour Government came into power pledging to renationalise the railways and create a new, publicly owned company to run them called Great British Railways. This briefing updates RMT members on the government’s progress and the union’s response.
Introduction On 5th November, the government published its anticipated Railways Bill.1 This is the second legislative stage in creating a publicly owned railway in Britain. Just over a year ago, the government passed the Passenger Railways (Public Ownership) Act which gave the Secretary of State the power and duty to take franchises into public ownership as their contracts expired or passed their core terms. At the Labour conference in September, the Secretary of State used her speech to announce the next tranche of franchises to come into public ownership. By Autumn 2027, the aim is for all to be in public ownership. Table 1: Remaining TOCs to be brought into public ownership. West Midlands Govia Thameslink Chiltern Railways Great Western East Midlands Avanti West Coast CrossCountry
1 February 2026 Announced for 31 May 2026 Summer 2026 Autumn 2026 Winter 2026 Spring 2027 Autumn 2027
The Railways Bill represents the second stage of the process by creating a new legal entity, Great British Railways, which will be responsible for running the railways. 1
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0325/240325.pdf