The UK government’s renationalisation of the country’s rail network is reaching its final stages, with Chiltern Railways returning to public ownership and Sir John Kingman being appointed as chair of Great British Railways.
Chiltern Railways runs services between London’s Marylebone station and the West Midlands. It becomes the 10th UK rail operator to be renationalised.
Another four operators, which currently run passenger services under contract with the Department for Transport, will return to public ownership by the end of 2027, starting with Great Western Railway on 13 December and Avanti West Coast on 7 March 2027. That will leave just CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway to be renationalised at some point next year.
In another move, the government has appointed Kingman to be the first chair of Great British Railways (GBR), the new public body that will run the UK’s rail services and track infrastructure.
Kingman, who is currently chair of Barclays Bank UK, takes up his role at GBR immediately with the new organisation currently being formally established through the Railways Bill, which is going through the UK parliament.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said Kingman’s appointment “marks a defining moment in our mission to put passengers first and rebuild Britain’s railways”.
“His exceptional record across government and industry makes him precisely the leader we need to steer Great British Railways through this landmark transformation,” added Alexander.
During his career, Kingman has also served as chair of Legal & General Group and Tesco Personal Finance, as well as a senior civil servant at the Treasury.