Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express services will become publicly owned starting Sunday, May 31, in a new step in the UK’s rail reform. The transfer involves the country’s largest passenger rail operator, Govia Thameslink Railway, which is responsible for approximately one in six rail journeys in the UK.

The British government is presenting the measure as an important milestone in the process of bringing rail services back under public control and preparing the future structure of Great British Railways, the body that would coordinate the British rail system under a more integrated model.

Govia Thameslink Railway, known as GTR, operates some of the most important commuter and regional services in southeast England. The portfolio includes Thameslink, which runs through London and connects Bedford, Luton Airport, Cambridge, and Peterborough to Brighton and the south coast; Great Northern, on sections of the East Coast Main Line; Southern, for commuter and regional services in London, Sussex, and neighboring counties; as well as Gatwick Express, the service dedicated to connecting to Gatwick Airport.

According to British authorities, following the GTR transfer, publicly owned operators will provide approximately 8 out of 10 passenger rail trips that will ultimately fall under the responsibility of Great British Railways.

GTR services will be transferred to a new public company, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, a subsidiary of Department for Transport Operator Limited, the entity through which the British government manages rail operators brought under public ownership.

GTR becomes the fifth operator transferred to public ownership under the law through which the British government began the process of bringing rail contracts back under public control. The company joins the operators West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, c2c, South Western Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern, and LNER, currently managed by DFTO.

The next transfer will involve Chiltern Railways on September 20, 2026, followed by Great Western Railway on December 13, 2026. The full program of transfers to public ownership is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The British government announces that GTR will implement a 100-day plan focused on core improvements, such as reducing cancellations, increasing service frequency to Gatwick Airport, recruiting train drivers, and improving communication with passengers.

One of the announced measures is doubling the number of Gatwick Express trains per hour between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria, starting in December. Additionally, more morning services will be introduced on Saturdays and Mondays, starting this summer. Other additional Great Northern services will be launched in December.

To reduce delays and cancellations, GTR will continue recruiting train staff. The operator estimates it will have an additional 75 drivers for Thameslink and Great Northern this year as they complete their training, as well as an increase of 40 drivers for Southern and Gatwick Express.

The plan also includes measures to improve the onboard experience. Toilets on Thameslink trains will be refurbished to reduce graffiti and improve cleanliness. GTR will modernize the interiors of the toilets on two trains per week, with the goal of completing work on more than half the fleet by the end of the year.

The operator will also train 110 passenger safety officers, staff dedicated to supporting revenue protection, improving security, and combating antisocial behavior on the network.

Another key focus is the modernization of signaling. A secondary signaling system between Farringdon and Blackfriars is expected to reduce delays and increase service resilience. Authorities estimate that this intervention could prevent over 1,000 cancellations per year.

In the area of passenger relations, GTR will introduce a WhatsApp support channel for service disruptions and add more online payment options.

British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated that, starting Sunday, millions of passengers in southeast and east England will travel on rail services returned “to public ownership.”

“Bringing the UK’s largest rail operator back into public ownership is a defining moment in our rail reform. It gives us the opportunity to tackle the core issues that people want resolved, such as reducing cancellations and improving service frequency to Gatwick Airport,” said Heidi Alexander.

She stated that, through the launch of Great British Railways, the government aims to put passengers first, fix what isn’t working, and deliver “a railway people can rely on.”

The announcement comes shortly after the unveiling of the first train bearing the Great British Railways branding at Brighton station, a symbolic moment in the process of creating a more integrated rail network.

According to officials, Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern, and Gatwick Express services contributed GBP 3.2 billion to the UK economy in 2025 and supported 40,000 jobs.

With government support, the Thameslink and Great Northern services will also support the development of new residential and economic areas, with service stops at the new Cambridge South station beginning June 28. The project is linked to the development of housing, schools, and employment opportunities.

John Whitehurst, GTR’s chief operating officer, said the network transports millions of people daily to work, school, or to see family and friends.

“Starting Sunday, each of them will be traveling on a publicly owned service, which is a responsibility we take seriously and for which we have prepared,” Whitehurst said.

He added that GTR has spent the past year strengthening its operational foundations and deepening integration with Network Rail, with a focus on the needs of customers and communities.

The British rail reform aims to create Great British Railways as the body responsible for coordinating the entire network, from infrastructure and trains to costs and revenues. The stated goal is a simpler, more unified system that is more accountable to passengers.

The government argues that existing public operators have better average performance in terms of punctuality and cancellations than operators that have not yet come under public management. Among the examples cited are c2c and Greater Anglia, presented as the top two operators in terms of punctuality and reliability, with over 90% of trains arriving within three minutes of the scheduled time and fewer than 2% cancellations.

Authorities also mention other effects of the transition to public ownership, such as the addition of 76,000 seats per week in the new December timetable, the introduction of services on the Northumberland line operated by Northern, and the increase in the number of Arterio trains in service on South Western Railway.