
Second train company nationalised and returned to public ownership
The company had been controlled by Italy's state-owned rail firm, Trenitalia, since 2017.
The Department for Transport (DfT) Operator, now managing the services, confirmed that previously purchased tickets will remain valid and fares are not changing as a direct result of the transfer.
The move comes as c2c boasts a strong passenger satisfaction record, achieving an 89 per cent rating in the latest Transport Focus research. This placed it as the joint sixth best performer among 22 operators.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'Whether you're shopping in Lakeside or walking along the beach in Southend-on-Sea, from today you will be able to get there on a train service run by the public, for the public.
'Public ownership is already tackling deep-rooted problems we see on the railway that's led to spiralling costs, fragmentation and waste.
'A unified network under Great British Railways will take this further with one railway under one brand with one mission – delivering excellent services for passengers wherever they travel.'
GBR is an upcoming public sector body that will oversee Britain's rail infrastructure and train operation.
Ernesto Sicilia, managing director at Trenitalia UK, said: 'As the franchise moves to public ownership, we acknowledge both the progress made and the ongoing challenges of unifying a fragmented rail industry.
'In the meantime, we will continue to support and deliver services on the Avanti West Coast franchise until it too transitions to public ownership in 2026.
'While our role as operator is ending, our dedication to sharing knowledge, supporting innovation and fostering collaboration remains unchanged.
'We recognise that building a resilient and integrated rail network takes time and Trenitalia is determined to play a constructive part in that journey.'
South Western Railway became the first operator brought into public ownership by the Labour Government in May.
It joined Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern and LNER, which were nationalised under the Conservative government because of performance failings by the former owners of those franchises.
The next operator to be nationalised will be Greater Anglia on October 12.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


North Wales Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump showed ‘willingness' to move on whisky tariffs during meeting
Scotland's First Minister met the president ahead of the opening of a second course at his Aberdeenshire golf club, where he pressed him on the 10% levy on Scotland's national drink. The tariff, it is believed, costs the sector £4 million per week, with distillery bosses keen to reach an agreement as part of the US-UK trade deal. Speaking to the PA news agency after the opening of the course, the First Minister said: 'I think there's a willingness for President Trump to look at the issues that I've set out to him. 'I don't think that was the position a few days ago, because I think President Trump was of the view that the trade deal was done and dusted and that was an end of the matter.' Mr Swinney told Mr Trump Scotch whisky was 'unique' to Scotland and the tariff was a 'significant impediment'. 'I think there is an opportunity for us to make progress,' he added. 'I wouldn't have expected to be able to get an outcome in the course of the discussion I had yesterday and this morning with President Trump, but we will follow this up with the US administration, follow up with the United Kingdom Government, to make the progress that I think Scotland would expect on this matter.' The president was asked about whisky tariffs by journalists at his Ayrshire golf course on Monday, where he appeared not to know there was an issue. 'We'll talk about that, I didn't know whisky was a problem,' Mr Trump said. 'I'm not a big whisky drinker but maybe I should be.'

Rhyl Journal
18 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Trump showed ‘willingness' to move on whisky tariffs during meeting
Scotland's First Minister met the president ahead of the opening of a second course at his Aberdeenshire golf club, where he pressed him on the 10% levy on Scotland's national drink. The tariff, it is believed, costs the sector £4 million per week, with distillery bosses keen to reach an agreement as part of the US-UK trade deal. Speaking to the PA news agency after the opening of the course, the First Minister said: 'I think there's a willingness for President Trump to look at the issues that I've set out to him. 'I don't think that was the position a few days ago, because I think President Trump was of the view that the trade deal was done and dusted and that was an end of the matter.' Mr Swinney told Mr Trump Scotch whisky was 'unique' to Scotland and the tariff was a 'significant impediment'. 'I think there is an opportunity for us to make progress,' he added. 'I wouldn't have expected to be able to get an outcome in the course of the discussion I had yesterday and this morning with President Trump, but we will follow this up with the US administration, follow up with the United Kingdom Government, to make the progress that I think Scotland would expect on this matter.' The president was asked about whisky tariffs by journalists at his Ayrshire golf course on Monday, where he appeared not to know there was an issue. 'We'll talk about that, I didn't know whisky was a problem,' Mr Trump said. 'I'm not a big whisky drinker but maybe I should be.'


The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
One-pot wonders: the secret to campsite cooking
I am limited to one pan and a burner when I camp. What would chefs recommend making?Maxwell, by email Happy campers need supplies, and Ryan Cole, executive chef and co-owner of Salsify at The Roundhouse in Camps Bay, South Africa, doesn't mess about. 'We have three square boxes: one dedicated to dry goods, one to oil, salt, pepper and utensils, and the third to camping toiletries; we also have a dual compartment fridge-freezer.' Whatever your set-up, a considered mobile store-cupboard of spices, stock cubes, good oil, grains, pasta, tins of coconut milk and the like will really come into its own. Got tinned tomatoes? Make shakshuka for a campside breakfast. 'We always take a lightly spiced onion relish and add that to tinned tomatoes for the base,' Cole says. Otherwise, he'll use long-life or nut milk to whip up some breakfast pancakes: 'That's super-simple.' Mitch Tonks, founder and CEO of Rockfish, is no stranger to confined cooking arrangements: 'I live on a boat, so I'm used to limited space. That's why I love one-pot dishes.' Pasta, he says, really suits this way of cooking. Ditalini, or other small, short tubes, with pancetta and peas, for example, will have you eating very well in the great outdoors – scout's honour. 'Put 75g pasta in a wide pan with a teaspoon of chicken powder or a quarter of a crumbled stock cube. Add cured smoked pancetta, tinned or frozen peas and a chopped tomato, then pour in 225ml water.' Simmer the lot for 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and the water has evaporated, then grate in some parmesan or stir in a tablespoon of mascarpone and eat. Wholesome, hearty meals are a balm when you're camping, Cole says. A favourite starts by dusting bony cuts of meat (lamb neck or oxtail, say) with flour, then caramelising them in oil: 'Take them out, add onion, garlic and carrot, and sweat until soft. Return the meat to the pan, and cook for half an hour with some stock, water, wine, beer or whatever liquid you have floating around the campsite.' Tip in some new potatoes, then leave to bubble away gently for two or three hours while you shoot the breeze: 'You can make that to feed one, two or 10, and there's nothing better on a summer's night. Or any night, really.' It's worth having snacks in your arsenal, too, says George Husband, co-founder of Gorka, the London-based pop-up: 'Bring a zip-lock bag of 750g flour, two teaspoons of instant yeast [or even a premix bread flour from the supermarket] and a pinch of salt, then add water the night before you want to cook it, or even when you crawl out of your sleeping bag in the morning. You now have a flatbread dough that's ready to fry.' Once cooked, slather the bread with butter and honey, and 'that's a great snack for hiking trips'. And if your idea of a good time includes something sweeter, keep things simple with s'mores or thin millet pancakes, Cole says: 'Do this in a pan that's almost too hot, so the edges caramelise, then put in a couple of marshies and a bit of maple syrup.' Roll them up, squeeze over some lemon juice and job's a good'un. But remember, he adds, less really is more when you're in the countryside: 'The more you take with you, the more you have to bring back!' Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@