logo
c2c trains are nationalised and return to public ownership

c2c trains are nationalised and return to public ownership

BBC News20-07-2025
Rail services between south Essex and London have become publicly owned for the first time since the 20th century.Operator c2c, which runs services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, was nationalised on Sunday.It became part of Great British Railways, set up by the government to oversee the rail system in England, Wales and Scotland.Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said passengers had been suffering "spiralling costs, fragmentation and waste".
Ministers have been allowed to take rail companies back into public ownership when their existing contracts expired.It was enabled under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, passed by Labour in November.On Sunday, c2c became the sixth operator to become nationalised.It would be followed by Greater Anglia, which runs trains throughout the East of England, on 12 October.
Alexander said public ownership would tackle "deep-rooted problems" experienced on the railway.She added: "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."The government hoped nationalisation of all services in Britain would bring savings of up to £150m, while also reducing delays and cancellations.David Burton-Sampson, the Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, said it would bring a host of benefits for passengers."What they will notice in the longer-term is a better service, a more consistent level of ticketing and hopefully a continued improvement in punctuality," he added.However, shadow rail minister and Conservative Norfolk MP Jerome Mayhew previously said he feared nationalisation would end up costing taxpayers more money in increased costs for leasing rolling stock.He said the government was "risking" successful operations for "ideological reasons".
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rent worry stops man feeling 'too comfortable' at home
Rent worry stops man feeling 'too comfortable' at home

BBC News

time11 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Rent worry stops man feeling 'too comfortable' at home

A man who works two jobs said the insecurity of renting means he cannot "feel too comfortable" in his own Jenkins, a supply teacher and a bar supervisor, had to leave the flat he lived in for 12 years after his landlord said he was selling Mr Jenkins, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said the flat ended up back on the rental market for £350 a month more than he had been sector rents in Wales rose by 8.2% in the year to June, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) while fresh data from Principality Building Society suggests house prices remain stable amid "surging" sales. Average private rent in Wales rose to £804 per month in June, though increases are well past their record peak of 9.9% in the year to November 2023, according to the Price Index of Private Rents. Mr Jenkins, 56, said having to leave the home his son grew up in left him with the "niggling thought" that he did not want to "feel too comfortable, just in case" it happened again. When he was looking for a new place in 2022 he had to choose carefully because "they were asking crazy money for some of the properties which I just wasn't in a position to be able to afford."Last year the rent on his house increased from £550 to £600 a month, which he believed was "fair", but said it could be a struggle during school holidays when his supply work dries up. Stephen Davison, 61, from Llandudno, Conwy county, lost his job during the pandemic and has to use his savings to pay his rent has gone up £100 a month which, in addition to repeated council tax in recent years, has made paying his bills more of a said: "You go from having made some plans for the future to having everything thrown up in the air. I don't know where I will be if I can't get another job."My savings are going down, my prospects of getting a job are going down and you feel insecure." Estate agent Douglas Haig, a director of the National Residential Landlords Association, said he expected rent increases in Wales to taper down as a number of cost increases for landlords "have started to bed in now".He added: "It gets to a point where there is a there's a ceiling on what the general market can afford. And I think we're getting to that point." The average house price was £238,098, an increase of 0.7% on the year, according to Principality's Wales House Price Index for April to June, while the number of sales rose 13%.Nine regions saw an increase in average property prices, while 13 had a Mansfield, Principality's chief financial officer, said affordability challenges for first-time buyers were "starting to ease" after Bank of England interest rates cuts made mortgage rates some people are stuck renting, a sustained increase in sales over the past 15 months shows it is getting more affordable for others to get on the property ladder, he added."A stable housing market, where prices aren't increasing at huge percentage points… means the accessibility for buyers to come into the market is more straight forward." Former police officer Paula Spence moved into her new family home in Cwmbran, Torfaen, two weeks and husband Graham previously downsized, but when their three children and grandchildren came back to live with them, they needed somewhere Spence said they found a buyer for their house within two days but it was "a struggle" to find the right place to buy."There were a few things out there but in a higher bracket than we wanted to pay, so we felt really lucky that we got this," she said."The family are happy and we've all got our own space, so it's all good."

Stephen Flynn jokes he'll be ‘washing hair' when Donald Trump visits Scotland
Stephen Flynn jokes he'll be ‘washing hair' when Donald Trump visits Scotland

The Independent

time12 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Stephen Flynn jokes he'll be ‘washing hair' when Donald Trump visits Scotland

Stephen Flynn joked he will be washing his hair when Donald Trump visits the UK. The Scottish National Party's (SNP) Westminster leader, who is bald, told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that he will find "any excuse possible" to avoid meeting the US president on his trip to Scotland. While insisting it was 'absolutely right' that First Minister John Swinney meets Mr Trump, Mr Flynn quipped that he'd be 'looking after his own toddlers' while the Republican is in the country.

Trump and von der Leyen agree EU-US deal on US President's Scotland visit
Trump and von der Leyen agree EU-US deal on US President's Scotland visit

The Independent

time12 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Trump and von der Leyen agree EU-US deal on US President's Scotland visit

The US and European Union have agreed a trade deal on Donald Trump's visit to Scotland, bringing months of difficult negotiations to a close. The bloc will face 15% tariffs on most of its goods including cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals entering America rather than a 30% levy previously threatened by the US President. President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement would provide 'certainty in uncertain times' for citizens and businesses, while Mr Trump hailed what he described as the 'biggest deal ever made'. They also agreed 'zero for zero' tariffs on a number of products including aircraft, some agricultural goods and certain chemicals, Ms von der Leyen said. The two leaders met at the US President's Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire on Sunday to hammer out the broad terms of the agreement, the detail of which is due to be fleshed out in the coming weeks. Before their bilateral talks, which lasted around an hour, Mr Trump had said there was a '50-50' chance of the deal being reached as a number of the sticking points remained. Following the meeting, he said: 'I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all … I think it's the biggest deal ever made.' Ms von der Leyen said: 'Today's deal creates certainty in uncertain times, it delivers stability and predictability for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.' Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin welcomed the 'clarity' the agreement brought to the transatlantic trade relationship and said the implications for exports from Ireland would be studied in the coming days. 'That is good for businesses, investors and consumers. It will help protect many jobs in Ireland,' he said. 'The negotiations to get us to this point have been long and complex, and I would like to thank both teams for their patient work. 'We will now study the detail of what has been agreed, including its implications for businesses exporting from Ireland to the US, and for different sectors operating here.' The development on Sunday evening looks to have averted the prospect of transatlantic trade war amid concerns that US tariff rates could damage the world economy. However, uncertainty remains over American levies on steel, which Mr Trump has suggested remains subject to a rate of 50%.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store