Latest news with #Trenitalia
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nationalisation of train operators ‘tackling deep-rooted problems'
Bringing train operators into public ownership is 'tackling deep-rooted problems' with the railways, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said. The Cabinet minister made the claim ahead of c2c becoming the second operator to be nationalised by the Labour Government on Sunday. The operator, which runs services between London Fenchurch Street and south Essex, has been owned by Italy's state-owned rail company Trenitalia since 2017. The Department for Transport (DfT) said c2c is 'consistently rated one of the best performing operators in the country'. It achieved a passenger satisfaction rating for the overall journey of 89% in the most recent research by watchdog Transport Focus. This was the joint sixth best performance out of 22 operators. Ms Alexander said: 'Whether you're shopping in Lakeside or walking along the beach in Southend-on-Sea, from this Sunday 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.' Customers of a nationalised train company can use their tickets on another publicly-owned operator at no extra cost during disruption. Ms Alexander added: 'A unified network under Great British Railways (GBR) 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. Nationalised services are currently the responsibility of DfT Operator. 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. Rob Mullen, managing director of c2c, said: 'We are proud of the reliable and high level of service we offer our passengers, consistently being rated as one of the best performing operators in the country. 'We now have a golden opportunity to collaborate with the wider family of publicly-owned operators, sharing our successes and best practice, but also learning from a wide range of different and diverse operators who have already benefited from public ownership, to drive even more improvements for the people and places we all serve. 'A unified and focused railway can deliver more for our communities, including better growth, jobs and houses.' Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, welcomed the nationalisation of c2c but expressed frustration that staff cleaning its trains and stations will still be employed by private company Bidvest Noonan. He said: 'The injustice of outsourcing must end so all railway workers can reap the benefits of public ownership and greedy private contractors can no longer extract obscene profits from the industry. 'Our members working for Bidvest Noonan deserve decent pay and the same terms and conditions as their colleagues, and we will fight tooth and nail to achieve it.' Paul Nowak, general secretary of trade union body the TUC, said: 'We need a fully integrated national rail service that works for passengers and the rail workforce. 'That means tackling outsourcing in the sector.' The next operator to be nationalised will be Greater Anglia on October 12.
Metro
4 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Labour brings c2c into public ownership - What does this mean for you?
Rail services between London and Essex have been brought into government ownership following the nationalisation of a second train operator. On Sunday, c2c became the latest train operating company to be publicly owned as part of Labour's scheme, which will eventually see the creation of Great British Railways. The change means services from Fenchurch Street station on the London, Tilbury and Southend line are now in public hands. It was owned by Italian state-owned rail operator Trenitalia, which purchased the franchise from National Express in 2017. At the time of the takeover, c2c had one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the country at 89 per cent. This was the joint sixth best performance out of 22 operators. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. Although the second operator to be brought into public hands, c2c will be the sixth train company managed by the Department for Transport (DfT), which is now in charge of 40 per cent of all rail journeys. As well as c2c, Department for Transport Operator (DfTO) now runs TransPennine Express, LNER, Northern, Southeastern and South Western Railway, the latter which became the first directly state operated network in February. c2c will soon be joined by neighbouring operator Greater Anglia, which is due to be nationalised in October. c2c, a shortened version of the phrase 'city to coast', operates services between London and Essex. The bulk of its trains leave from Fenchurch Street Station, with Liverpool Street Station used as a backup London terminus during engineering works. It operates four trains per hour to Shoeburyness via Basildon and Southend-on-Sea. Another two hourly services go to Southend via Ockendon and Tilbury in Essex and another to Grays, calling at Rainham. In its 2024 manifesto, Labour promised to bring railways back into the public sector following years of complaints from passengers about high fares and poor service. The Labour scheme also includes taking over responsibility for managing rail infrastructure, including stations and lines currently handled by Network Rail. Following the privatisation of British Rail in the 1990s, rail services were franchised out to a variety of private firms. However, despite an initially positive reaction, public support began to tilt in favour of a return to government ownership amid grievances with overcrowding, increasing fares and unreliable services. Concerns over poor performance of private operators led the previous government to take control of LNER, Northern, Transpennine Express and Southeastern via operators of last resort. Labour says the new nationalised network will help standardise the service, improve reliability and cut costs for travellers. c2c followed South Western Railway in returning to public hands, having previously been operated by National Express before being acquired by Trenitalia. The Italian state operator will continue to have a foothold in British railways through its stake in Avanti West Coast, until that goes public next year. Speaking about the latest step, 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.' However one highly profitable aspect of the railway is likely to stay in private hands – the trains themselves. Rolling stock has for three decades been controlled by Rolling Stock Companies or ROSCOS, dominated by three major players, Eversholt Rail Group, Porterbrook and Angel Trains. Due to the prohibitive cost of buying the stock back, Great British Railways will instead lease the trains from these firms for the foreseeable future, trade publication Railtech reported. This means that the fees from use of the trains will remain in the private sector. Under its public ownership scheme, Labour has promised better quality and more reliable services. While the branding of services will remain the same for now, passengers can expect some changes to how they operate. For example, tickets will be valid for all publicly-owned services, meaningin the event of major disruption or line closure, passengers can travel on other routes without extra charge. This already works in the North West, where commuters are able to switch between Northern and TransPennine Express services, both of which are operated by DfT. For c2c passengers, the benefits may become more visible after the neighbouring Greater Anglia network is nationalised in October. In addition, the Government says it will leverage the new control to increase services and capacity on some routes. More Trending As well as improvements to services, ministers and rail bosses say public ownership will save the taxpayer up to £150 million each year. Rob Mullen, the managing director of c2c, said: ' A unified and focused railway can deliver more for our communities, including better growth, jobs and houses. If we are thriving as a train operator it helps our communities to thrive. 'This is the positive feedback loop we are excited to deliver, supported by better and closer collaboration with our partners in the lead up to GBR.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'Elegant' UK seaside town gets new direct train to London after it was axed five years ago MORE: Inside the fight against graffiti on trains across the UK's railways MORE: 'Pole hogging' is the latest Tube habit tormenting commuters on the London Underground
ITV News
4 days ago
- Business
- ITV News
Labour nationalises second train company
The nationalisation of a second train company by the Labour Government has been completed. Operator c2c, which runs services between London Fenchurch Street and south Essex, was taken into public ownership on Sunday. It had been controlled by Italy's state-owned rail company Trenitalia since 2017. DfT (Department for Transport) Operator, which manages services under public control on behalf of the UK Government, said tickets previously purchased will remain valid. It added that fares are 'not changing as a direct result of the transfer'. 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. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander The overall passenger satisfaction rating for c2c was 89% in the most recent research by watchdog Transport Focus. This was the joint sixth best performance out of 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.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Second train company nationalised and returned to public ownership
A second train operator has been brought under public ownership by the Labour Government, with c2c, which runs services between London Fenchurch Street and south Essex, completing its nationalisation on Sunday. 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.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Labour nationalises second train company
The nationalisation of a second train company by the Labour Government has been completed. Operator c2c, which runs services between London Fenchurch Street and south Essex, was taken into public ownership on Sunday. It had been controlled by Italy's state-owned rail company Trenitalia since 2017. DfT (Department for Transport) Operator, which manages services under public control on behalf of the UK Government, said tickets previously purchased will remain valid. It added that fares are 'not changing as a direct result of the transfer'. The overall passenger satisfaction rating for c2c was 89% in the most recent research by watchdog Transport Focus. This was the joint sixth best performance out of 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.
