Great Western Railway to return to public ownership in December

Great Western Railway is to be renationalised on 13 December, the UK government has confirmed.

The move will bring the operator under the new Great British Railways organisation.

GWR, based in Swindon, runs services linking London with the south-west of England and South Wales.

Its network includes routes serving Taunton, Bristol and Gloucester.

The Department for Transport described the change as a significant moment and said it would put passengers, rather than shareholders, at the heart of the railways.

A GWR spokesperson said the company welcomed the clarity and would continue working closely with the department.

The announcement matters because GWR is one of the major operators in the West of England and South Wales, where rail services are important for commuting, regional travel and economic links.

The government said the focus would be on improving services and infrastructure.

Helen Godwin, mayor for the West of England Combined Authority, welcomed the news and said the region deserved four trains an hour at stations across its growing rail network.

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