Rail services between London, Essex and Cambridgeshire have been brought into government ownership after the third train company was nationalised today.
Greater Anglia has become the latest train operating company to be publicly owned as part of the government plan, which will eventually see the creation of Great British Railways.
The change means services from London Liverpool Street to Essex and Cambridgeshire are now in public hands, although passengers won’t see changes during the transition period.
As well as Greater Anglia, the Department for Transport Operator (DfTO) now runs TransPennine Express, LNER, Northern, Southeastern and South Western Railway, which was renationalised in May.
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Greater Anglia will soon be joined by West Midlands Trains, which will be nationalised on February 1, 2026.
Govia Thameslink Railway, the largest operator in the UK, will follow on May 31, 2026.
Where does Greater Anglia operate?
Greater Anglia runs services between London Liverpool Street, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
Routes from Liverpool Street include Cheshunt, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Hertford East, Peterborough, King’s Lynn, Norwich, Ipswich, and Great Yarmouth, with stops at dozens of smaller stations in between.
Greater Anglia also operates the Stansted Express service to Stansted Airport.
What will change with Greater Anglia under public ownership?
Labour has promised better quality and more reliable services once the Great British Railways launches.
While the branding of services will remain the same for now, passengers can expect some changes to how they operate.
Once the Great British Railways is up and running, the government will roll out a new online ticket retailer.
It will bring together the operators’ ticket websites in a bid to ‘simplify the complex web of fares and tickets,’ the government said.
The Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said at Labour party conference: ‘Labour is building a railway fit for Britain’s future, owned by the public for the public. We’re rejecting the decline and neglect that was allowed to go on for far too long, and giving our railways, and our country, the renewal we need.
‘We’re returning the railways to the service of passengers by reforming a broken system. Great British Railways will be a simpler, more unified railway that delivers reliable, comfortable, and more affordable journeys for all.’
Martin Beable, Managing Director, Greater Anglia, said: ‘I am very proud of what we have achieved here in East Anglia over the past thirteen years, significantly improving standards, investing in a complete fleet of new trains, and working closely with the local community.
‘As we transition to a publicly owned railway, we remain focussed on delivering outstanding levels of service for our passengers.’
Labour’s rail nationalisation plan
In its 2024 manifesto, Labour promised to bring railways back into the public sector following years of complaints from passengers plagued by delays and cancellations.
The latest data from the rail watchdog, the Office of Rail and Road, shows that around 86% of trains arrived on time between April and June 2025 .
Despite the focus on clamping down on delays and cancellations, the Transport Secretary has previously said train fares are still expected to go up under public ownership.
The Labour plan also includes taking over responsibility for managing rail infrastructure like stations and tracks currently managed by Network Rail.
However, one highly profitable aspect of the railway is likely to stay in private hands – the trains themselves – which will continue to be controlled by Rolling Stock Companies (ROSCOS) and leased to the Great British Railways.
Following the privatisation of British Rail in the 1990s, rail services were franchised out to private, for-profit companies.
After growing grievances over crowding, increasing fares and unreliable services, the public began to demand a U-turn to government ownership.
Concerns over poor performance of private operators led the previous government to take control of LNER, Northern, Transpennine Express and Southeastern via operators of last resort.
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