Trains return to public ownership in south Essex

Rail services between south Essex and London have become publicly owned for the first time since the 20th century.

Operator c2c, which runs services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, was nationalised on Sunday.

It became part of Great British Railways, set up by the government to oversee the rail system in England, Wales and Scotland.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said passengers had been suffering “spiralling costs, fragmentation and waste”.

Ministers have been allowed to take rail companies back into public ownership when their existing contracts expired.

It was enabled under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, passed by Labour in November.

On Sunday, c2c became the sixth operator to become nationalised.

It would be followed by Greater Anglia, which runs trains throughout the East of England, on 12 October.

Alexander said public ownership would tackle “deep-rooted problems” experienced on the railway.

She added: “A unified network under Great British Railways will take this further with one railway under one brand with one mission: delivering excellent services for passengers wherever they travel.”

The government hoped nationalisation of all services in Britain would bring savings of up to £150m, while also reducing delays and cancellations.

David Burton-Sampson, the Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, said it would bring a host of benefits for passengers.

“What they will notice in the longer-term is a better service, a more consistent level of ticketing and hopefully a continued improvement in punctuality,” he added.

However, shadow rail minister and Conservative Norfolk MP Jerome Mayhew previously said he feared nationalisation would end up costing taxpayers more money in increased costs for leasing rolling stock.

He said the government was “risking” successful operations for “ideological reasons”.