Greater Anglia to be nationalised in October

Greater Anglia is set to be nationalised later this year, it has been confirmed.

The rail operator, which runs services to the East of England and into London, said it would be brought into public ownership on October 12.

Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s managing director, said management “remain focused” on delivering services ahead of the transition.

Plans to nationalise Greater Anglia this year were first announced in December, however a firm date had yet to be decided.

South Western Railway will become the first operator to be nationalised later this month, followed by Trenitalia’s c2c services in July and then Greater Anglia, which is owned by TransportUK.

All employees will continue in their current roles as part of the transition.

TransportUK said it was “disappointed” by the move, given Greater Anglia currently operates the most punctual service in the UK and is “one of the only railways to generate income for the Treasury.”

“Nevertheless, we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition to public ownership in October and have both the plans and expertise in place to deliver this.”

Dominic Booth, TransportUK’s chief executive, said its recent performance was a “testament to the whole team’s hard work and commitment to delivering the highest-quality services possible for our passengers.

“Our task now is to ensure that we oversee a smooth transition into public ownership and support the Government with its wider agenda of rail reform.”

A DfT spokeswoman said: “Bringing services into public ownership will enable us to join up track and train and deliver the best value for taxpayers in the longer term.

“We’re working closely with operators to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for passengers.”