In the United Kingdom, the Labour government renationalizes the railways

The first train to feature the new “Great British Railways” (GBR) logo in white letters on a blue background departed Woking station in the south London suburbs at 5:36 this morning, the BBC reports . According to Transport Minister Heidi Alexander, the event marks the beginning of a “new era” for British railways, which should now “be run in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.”

South Western Railway (SWR), which operates around 1,600 trains a day between more than 200 stations and Waterloo Station, one of the capital's main passenger stations, has become the first British railway company to be renationalised, in line with a Labour Party election promise. Keir Starmer's government has pledged to do the same for all other rail operators by 2027.

"We will move forward with confidence towards a new future for the railways," proclaimed Heidi Alexander. In the meantime, "due to engineering work," part of the journey had to be made this morning on a replacement bus, according to the Sky News website .

“There will be no miracle,” warns The Times . Labour has pledged to fix the “broken” network, but “the solution will not be immediate.” Last month, South Western Railway reported that around 28% of its trains were delayed and 4% had to be canceled. There is no reason for major change to happen immediately. “But if you do it right, the process is worth it,” says Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a think tank that aims to boost the economy of northern Britain.

Since the privatization of operators in the 1990s, British commuters have had to endure repeated delays, service cuts, and timetable problems. “Everyone knows that privatization […] hasn't worked,” said Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef. The other British rail union, the RMT, also welcomed the nationalization of SWR but regretted that cleaning and security remain outsourced.

Ultimately, all operators are expected to be consolidated into a single, state-owned organization responsible for both infrastructure and user services. In the meantime, the Department for Transport itself will manage the nationalized companies. “It will take time to repair decades of fragmentation,” Minister Heidi Alexander acknowledged, “but the cultural transformation has begun: we are moving from a system designed around commercial contracts to one based on public service values.”

The Financial Times , for its part, predicts a "complicated" start for the new public service. Since the end of the pandemic, cancellations have reached the highest level ever recorded, "largely due to the shortage of drivers." As for revenue, it remains around 20% below pre-pandemic levels, due to passenger disengagement. Finally, of the 90 new Arterio trains that were due to be delivered to First Group, which has held the operating contract for the SWR franchise since 2017, only five have been delivered.

The government insists that trains will not be allowed to display the Great British Railways logo until they meet strict standards. "Even if they are nationalized, they will have to earn the right to bear that name."