The
first
train


run
by
renationalised
South
Western
Railway
left
London
Waterloo
at
06.14
this
morning,
bound
for
Shepperton.
SWR
is
the
first
of
ten
former
franchises
being
returned
to
public
ownership
between
now
and
2027,
following
a
change
in
the
law
last
November.

A
further
Act
of
Parliament
is
due
to
be
passed
next
year,
and
most
passenger
trains
will
be
run
eventually
by
the
new
‘directing
mind’
Great
British
Railways
after
the
remaining
former
franchises
have
also
been
returned
to
public
control.

The
private
sector
will
still
be
running
‘open
access’
services,
such
as
Hull
Trains
and
Grand
Central,
and
the
majority
of
freight
trains.
More
open
access
services
are
due
to
start
running
soon
between
London
and
Stirling,
and
also
London
and
South
Wales,
but
a
number
of
additional
applications
are
currently
being
considered
by
the
Office
of
Rail
Road.

Seven
operators
have
already
been


renationalised
for
various
reasons
since
2018.
Four
of
these
are
in
England,
two
in
Scotland
and
one
in
Wales. 

Secretary
of
State
for
Transport
Heidi
Alexander
said:
‘Today
is
a
watershed
moment
in
our
work
to
return
the
railways
to
the
service
of
passengers.
Trains
from
Waterloo
to
Weymouth,
Bournemouth
and
Exeter,
will
be
run
by
the
public,
for
the
public.

‘But
I
know
that
most
users
of
the
railway
don’t
spend
much
time
thinking
about
who
runs
the
trains
–
they
just
want
them
to
work.
That’s
why
operators
will
have
to
meet
rigorous
performance
standards
and
earn
the
right
to
be
called
Great
British
Railways.

‘We
have
a
generational
opportunity
to
restore
national
pride
in
our
railways
and
I
will
not
waste
it.’

The
next
operators
to
be
renationalised
will
be
c2c
on
20
July
this
year,
followed
by
Greater
Anglia
on
12
October.

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