Extra trains for Birmingham as Chiltern heads for public control
Chiltern Railways’ move to public ownership will pave the way for increased services between London and the West Midlands, the government says.
From Sunday, 20 September, the rail operator will become the sixth company to move over to Great British Railways since plans to create the public rail body were first published in 2024.
Planned improvements to services include the launch of a new timetable in December, which will provide a half-hourly weekday service on the Chiltern Mainline between London and Birmingham.
The Chiltern fleet is also set to almost double with the addition of six trains in December, with a £12m refurbishment programme of the company’s seven existing Class 168 trains also set to continue.
Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said the move would be a “significant milestone” for the company, which has been in private ownership since its establishment in 1996.
“Over the next 12 months, our customers in London, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands will benefit from more new trains, more services, thousands of additional seats, improvements to stations and on-board facilities and the ability to use their ticket on other operators when faced with disruption – customer improvements made possible thanks to years of planning, dedication and hard work by Chiltern colleagues,” he said.
“Public ownership will further strengthen that progress through closer collaboration across the industry, helping us share best practice, drive innovation and focus on what matters most to customers, businesses and communities across our network.”
The government introduced Great British Rail via its Railways Bill in the House of Commons during November last year, part of its plans to replace “fragmented” train services by unifying track and train under one organisation.
The new national rail operator technically does not yet exist – with former privatised contracts that have been taken back under public control run by a Department for Transport holding company for now, until the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent.
The next operator’s services to transfer into public ownership will be Great Western Railway on 13 December, ahead of completion of the full public ownership programme by the end of 2027, the government says.
