13 July 2025

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6


Industry Guide | Database



Operators


click on operators’ titles below




Nationalised operators

including next end date (where applicable)



Caledonian Sleeper

 


LNER

 


Northern

 


ScotRail

 


South Western Railway

 


Southeastern

 


TransPennine Express

 


Transport for Wales Rail

 14 October 2033




Current contracts

including next end date (where applicable)



Avanti West Coast NRC

 not decided


c2c NRC

 20 July 2025


Chiltern NRC

 not decided


CrossCountry NRC

 17 October 2027


East Midlands Railway NRC

 not decided


Govia Thameslink Railway NRC

 not decided


Great Western Railway NRC

 not decided


Greater Anglia NRC

 12 October 2025


Merseyrail

 20 July 2028


West Midlands Trains NRC

 not decided




Expired franchises
and other former operators


Abellio Greater Anglia 2014-2016


Anglia Railways 1997-2004


Arriva Trains Wales Trenau Arriva Cymru 2003-2018


Avanti West Coast 2019-2023


British Railways Board InterCity 1982-1997


British Railways Board Network SouthEast 1986-1997


British Railways Board Regional Railways 1982-1997


British Railways Board TOUs 1994-1997


c2c 1996-2014


c2c 2014-2021


Caledonian Sleeper 2015-2023


Cardiff 1996-2001


Central Trains 1997-2007


Chiltern Railways 1996-2002


Chiltern Railways 2002-2021


Connex South Central 1996-2001


Connex South Eastern 1996-2003


CrossCountry 2007-2020


CrossCountry 1997-2007


CrossCountry 2020-2023


East Coast 2009-2015


East Midlands Railway 2019-2022


East Midlands Trains 2007-2019


First Capital Connect 2006-2014


First Great Eastern 1997-2004


First Great Western 1996-2006


First Great Western 2006-2015


First Great Western Link 2004-2006


First North Western 1997-2004


First TransPennine Express 2004-2016


Gatwick Express 1996-2008


GNER 1996-2005


GNER 2005-2007


Govia Thameslink Railway 2014-2022


Great Western Railway 2015-2022


Greater Anglia 2012-2014


Greater Anglia 2016-2021


Island Line 2003-2007


Island Line 1996-2003


London Midland 2007-2017


Merseyrail Electrics 1997-2003


Midland Mainline 1996-2007


National Express East Anglia 2004-2012


National Express East Coast 2007-2009


Northern 2004-2016


Northern 2016-020


Northern Spirit/Arriva Trains Northern 1997-2004


ScotRail 2004-2015


ScotRail 2015-2022


ScotRail 1997-2004


Silverlink 1997-2007


South Central 2001-2003


South Eastern Trains 2003-2006


South West Trains 2007-2017


South West Trains 2004-2007


South West Trains 1996-2004


South Western Railway 2017-2021


South Western Railway NRC 2021-2025


Southeastern 2006-2021


Southern 2009-2015


Southern 2003-2009


Thames Trains 1996-2004


Thameslink 1997-2006


TransPennine Express 2016-2020


TransPennine Express NRC 2021-2023


Virgin Trains 2014-2019


Virgin Trains 1997-2014


Virgin Trains East Coast 2015-2018


WAGN 1997-2006


Wales & Borders 2001-2003


Wales & West 1996-2001


Wessex Trains 2001-2006


West Midlands Trains 2017-2021





< Database index









Operators



The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act received Royal Assent on 28 November 2024.

There have been more than 90 separate passenger train operator contracts since privatisation began in 1996.

Most of these contracts were franchises, although franchises were suspended in March 2020 and ceased to exist in September. Since then, National Rail Contracts have been awarded following two periods of emergency measures as a result of the Covid pandemic.

This section of the Railnews Business database lists every franchise and contract, past and present.

Contracted train operators are being returned to public ownership.

The lists on this page now include a separate section for those operators which have already been nationalised.

For all Railnews advertising call David Longstaff on +44 (0)1438 281210

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