West Midlands Trains to come under public ownership in February

Rail services operated by West Midlands Trains will transfer to public control from 1 February, 2026, it was announced yesterday.

The train service, which operates both West Midlands Railways and London Northwestern Railway, will officially begin the process of transferring to public ownership.

In a statement, West Midlands Trains' managing director Ian McConnell said that he was “extremely proud” of the move, which will see both services coming under the control of Great British Railways.

He added that the company is “delivering a £1billion investment in two new train fleets and delivering significantly improved performance which has transformed rail travel for millions of customers”.

“As we transition to a publicly owned railway, our focus remains on delivering an outstanding service for our passengers,” said Mr McConnell.

The move was confirmed by the Department for Transport on Monday as part of the government's ongoing plan to absorb private train companies to improve services.

Since the start of WMT’s franchise in 2017, more than 100 new trains had been introduced onto the network, which stretches from Liverpool to London via the West Midlands, the company claimed.

Ministers have been allowed to take rail companies back into public ownership under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, passed by Labour in November.

The government hoped nationalisation of all services in Britain would bring savings of up to £150m while also reducing delays and cancellations.