DfT Operator
 | |
| Company type | Holding company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 24 May 2018 |
| Products | Public transport |
| Owner | HM Government |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | gov |
DfT Operator is a government-owned holding company established in 2018. It was created by the government to take over train companies in England that are either failing financially or being re-nationalised.[1]
It has been the largest operator of passenger rail services in Great Britain since 2023.
History
[change | change source]Conservative government
[change | change source]DfT Operator was founded on 24 May 2018 as DfT OLR Holdings.
It was created as a subsidiary of the Department for Transport (DfT) with its main purpose being to ensure rail services continue if the franchise fails.
Through the company, the DfT could take ownership of train operating companies (TOCs) when a franchise is terminated early or not renewed.
Labour government
[change | change source]In May 2024, the Labour Party confirmed if they won the general election that the railways would be re-nationalised. After Labour won the election, they began the process of rail renationalisation.[2]
In November 2024, Parliament passed the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 which acts as the first phase of the government's wider rail reforms. Under the legislation, all franchised train operating companies will be returned to public ownership as their contracts expire.[3]
In May 2025, South Western Railway was the first operator to be re-nationalised.[4] This will be followed by c2c in July 2025 and Greater Anglia in October 2025. Following this, it is expected that the remaining operators will gradually be transferred to public ownership every three months.[5]
Eventually, DFTO will be integrated into Great British Railways, a new state-owned company that will re-integrate the operation of infrastructure and train services.
List of subsidiaries
[change | change source]Key
Future subsidiary
|
| Operator | Date | Type | Reason | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London North Eastern Railway | 24 June 2018 | Terminated | Financial failure | [6] |
| Northern Trains | 1 March 2020 | Terminated | Service failure | [7] |
| Southeastern | 17 October 2021 | Terminated | Financial misconduct | [8] |
| TransPennine Express | 28 May 2023 | Terminated | Disruption | [9] |
| South Western Railway | 25 May 2025 | Nationalised | — | [10] |
| c2c | 20 July 2025 | Nationalised | — | [11] |
| Greater Anglia | 12 October 2025 | Nationalised | — | [12] |
| West Midlands Trains | 1 February 2026 | Nationalised | — | [13] |
| Chiltern Railways | March 2026 (estimated) | Nationalised | — | [14] |
| Govia Thameslink Railway | June 2026 (estimated) | Nationalised | — | [14] |
| Great Western Railway | September 2026 (estimated) | Nationalised | — | [14] |
| East Midlands Railway | December 2026 (estimated) | Nationalised | — | [14] |
| Avanti West Coast | March 2027 (estimated) | Nationalised | — | [14] |
| CrossCountry | June 2027 (estimated) | Nationalised | — | [14] |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "DfT Operator Limited". GOV.UK. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ↑ "Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years". BBC News. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024". Legislation.gov.uk. Expert Participation. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ "South Western Railway: passengers first renationalisation train". BBC News. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Public ownership: railway passenger services". GOV.UK. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "East Coast train line to be put into public control". BBC News. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Government decision on Northern Rail". GOV.UK. Department for Transport & DfT OLR Holdings. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "LSER issued with £23.5 million penalty over breach of contract". GOV.UK. Department for Transport & DfT OLR Holdings. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ Topham, Gwyn (11 May 2023). "TransPennine Express nationalised for catalogue of failings and poor service". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ↑ "South Western Railway first rail firm renationalised by Labour". BBC News. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Government reveals first three operators to be renationalised after law change". Railnews. 4 December 2024. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024.
- ↑ "Greater Anglia to be nationalised in October, says rail operator". BBC News. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ "Transfer to Public Ownership" (Press release). West Midlands Railway. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "DFTO Transition Timeline". TSSA. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
