The former Greater Anglia franchise will be renationalised on 12 October, and its majority shareholder has said it is ‘disappointed’.

Greater Anglia, which is owned by a consortium of Transport UK and Mitsui, has held a National Rail Contract since 19 September 2021, following the abolition of franchises in 2020.

Jobs are not at risk, said Greater Anglia, because staff will be transferred to the new publicly-owned company.

TUK said: ‘Despite having other valid options for which operator to nationalise next, we are disappointed that the Government has decided to go ahead with Greater Anglia, which is outperforming other railways and generating income for the taxpayer. We are also concerned that this decision creates unnecessary risk, such as slowing the pace of service improvements and jeopardising taxpayer revenue, given that Great British Railways has yet to be established, and its functions currently fall to the temporary DfT Operator.’ 

Greater Anglia managing director Martin Beable said: ‘I am very proud of what we have achieved here in East Anglia over the past thirteen years, significantly improving standards, investing in a complete fleet of new trains, and working closely with the local community.

‘As we transition to a publicly owned railway, we remain focused on delivering outstanding levels of service for our passengers.’

Transport UK CEO Dominic Booth added: ‘I’m incredibly proud of our stewardship of Greater Anglia. For the third year running, Greater Anglia won an unprecedented three Golden Whistles for punctuality and was named Passenger Operator of the Year at the National Rail Awards.

‘This is a testament to the whole team’s hard work and commitment to delivering the highest-quality services possible for our passengers. Our task now is to ensure that we oversee a smooth transition into public ownership and support the Government with its wider agenda of rail reform.’

Greater Anglia will be the third former franchise to be renationalised this year. The first will be South Western Railway on 25 May, followed by c2c on 20 July.

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