Biggest rail operator nationalised: What it means

Another train operating company will come into public ownership on Sunday when Britain's largest operator is nationalised.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services, will come under Department for Transport (DfT) control from 02:00 BST.

GTR is responsible for transporting millions of people, accounting for one in six passenger rail journeys.

Great British Railways (GBR) will eventually operate all passenger services by the end of 2027.

Not yet.

There will be temporary cuts to 2% of services on weekdays between 18 July and 29 August, including on routes between Luton and Rainham via Greenwich. During the school summer holidays passenger numbers are up to 20% lower.

There will be more services between July and September on other routes, including to East Grinstead connecting with the Bluebell Railway and early-morning Gatwick flights.

From December, the DfT says there will be twice as many Gatwick Express services every hour.

There will also be additional Great Northern services from Moorgate to Hertford North.

No.

Fares will remain frozen until March 2027, as the government announced last year.

If you're delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can still claim compensation using Delay Repay.

Not yet.

Although the first new-look Southern train - painted red, white and blue - was unveiled at Brighton station by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander last week, most trains will remain the same.

Eventually, the government intends to change the livery on all services as they come under GBR control.

GTR joins West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, c2c, South Western, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern and LNER in being managed by Department for Transport Operator Limited (DFTO).

Chiltern Railways will follow on 20 September, and Great Western Railways on 13 December.

No.

Although almost all passenger train operators will be, some private open-access firms, such as Lumo, will continue to run services.

Rolling stock companies - who own, maintain and lease carriages and engines - remain in private hands.

Rail freight will also remain entirely in the private sector.

Network Rail, which fixes railway tracks and signals, is already a public body.

Labour pledged in its manifesto to nationalise train operating companies when their contracts expired.

Ministers believe these "bold rail reforms" will make trains more reliable, punctual and cheaper to run.

The government also says trains will be cleaner and that it will upgrade WiFi on hundreds of trains.

Nearly 8,000 staff members will transfer to the government's own train operating company, retaining their existing terms and conditions.

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