Labour is steadily bringing nearly all passenger rail services into public hands, a move that a YouGov tracker poll suggests is supported by almost two thirds of the public. However, plans are in their early stages, and big structural changes have yet to be introduced.
Experts caution that it is too early to determine how successful these changes will be. Stephen Glaister, emeritus professor of transport and infrastructure at Imperial College London, believes a decade is needed to assess the impact of nationalisation.
South Western Railway (SWR), nationalised in May 2025, experienced an increase in cancellations during its first year in public hands. The government attributes this to high summer temperatures, signal failures, and trespass incidents, noting that new trains and driver recruitment have since led to a drop in staff-shortage related cancellations.
TransPennine Express, nationalised in May 2023 under the Conservative government, has seen cancellations fall noticeably, though they were still above the Great Britain average in the year to August. Changes included cutting some services and removing one type of train to address staffing issues, alongside a new deal with the drivers' union.
Alex Hynes, chief executive of DfT Operator Limited (DfTO), stated that short-term changes have been possible, such as making one team jointly responsible for managing infrastructure and passenger train services in some areas, including the south-west of England.