“I’m sure everyone in the West who – like me – catches the train will welcome this news”
File photo of a Great Western Railway train(Image: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live)
The West’s main rail operator, Great Western Railway (GWR), will be nationalised this year, the Government has announced, with the company that runs the trains losing its contract.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced today that when the Government’s contract with First Group, which owns Great Western Railways, comes to an end on December 13, it won’t be renewed, and the operating company will be brought into public ownership as part of Great British Railways.
It will mean most mainline services from Gloucester and Stroud to Somerset, Bristol, Wales, and Wiltshire will be part of Great British Railways, along with commuter lines around Bristol too.
The move has been welcomed by the metro mayor for the West of England – which covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset – who said it would help her plans for new stations around the region.
Five new stations are set to be built in the West over the coming years: Bristol Brabazon, Charfield, Henbury, Pill, and Portishead. Bristol Brabazon will open in Autumn 2026, Charfield will open in Spring 2027, Pill and Portishead will open in Winter 2028/29, while work continues on plans for Henbury.
“I’m sure everyone in the West who – like me – catches the train will welcome this news,” said Metro Mayor Helen Godwin.
“We need a transport network which works, and putting the trains back under public ownership will put people’s needs at the heart of Great British Railways. Like the three-quarters of a billion pounds already secured from Government for better transport for the West of England, this is a big deal and must make a difference that people can see and feel.
West of England Metro Mayor Helen Godwin, left, with Transport Secretary and Swindon MP Heidi Alexander(Image: WECA)
“Alongside our new stations, Bristol Brabazon and Charfield, and passenger trains returning to Portishead and Pill, we deserve four trains an hour at stations across our growing regional rail network. We’ll continue working with partners to deliver the infrastructure needed to make that ambition a reality,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said it meant that passengers were the most important thing on the railways, not shareholders.
“This is another significant moment for the Government’s flagship public ownership programme and brings a simpler, more reliable network under Great British Railways a step closer,” they said.
“The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring services back into public ownership and put passengers, not shareholders, at the heart of our railways,” they added.
GWR was privatised in 1996 as part of the privatisation of British Rail, initially launching as Great Western Trains, before becoming First Great Western in 1988.
FirstGroup has operated the franchise since that time and rebranded it as GWR in 2015.
A GWR spokesperson said the company would “continue to work closely with the DfT 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,” the spokesperson added.