Chiltern Railways Renationalised After 30 Years

Chiltern Railways has been brought into public ownership after 30 years as a private company, becoming the 10th rail operator under the government’s Great British Railways programme, according to BBC. The Department for Transport said the transfer will add 25 daily services from December and provide 10,000 extra seats on weekdays, including half-hourly services on the Chiltern Main Line between London and Birmingham. The operator said the changes should ease overcrowding, improve accessibility and deliver better Wi-Fi, while passengers whose trains are cancelled can use another operator’s service two hours either side at no extra cost from Sunday. Great Western Railway is due to be the next operator brought into public ownership on 13 December, and the government aims for GBR to run all passenger services by the end of 2027.