Great Western Railway to be nationalised in December

Neil Lancefield, Press Association Transport Correspondent

Great Western Railway (GWR) train services will be nationalised on December 13, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

It will be the 11th operator with a Government contract to be taken into public ownership.

The three remaining operators in private ownership will be Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway.

GWR connects Paddington in west London with south and south-west England and south Wales.

A DfT spokesperson said: “This is another significant moment for the Government’s flagship public ownership programme and brings a simpler, more reliable network under Great British Railways a step closer.

“The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring services back into public ownership and put passengers, not shareholders, at the heart of our railways.”