Government sets October nationalisation date for Greater Anglia train services

The Department for Transport has confirmed that Greater Anglia, which operates train services to Bishop’s Stortford, Stansted and Sawbridgeworth, will be nationalised on October 12.

Train services, timetables and station facilities are unaffected by the transition, with no changes to ticket validity or conditions of carriage.

Greater Anglia’s 3,000-plus employees’ roles are also unaffected, as they will all transfer to the publicly owned company.

The company operates about 1,300 intercity, commuter and rural services a day through 134 stations in Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, including the West Anglia line between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street and the Stansted Express service to the airport.

For the second consecutive year, it is the most punctual train operator in the UK, and it is the fastest-growing operator in London and the South East, with 82 million passenger journeys across its network in 2024-25.

Since 2012, Greater Anglia has implemented a £2 billion investment programme to upgrade services, introducing a new fleet of trains.

Managing director Martin Beable said: “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved here in East Anglia over the past 13 years, significantly improving standards, investing in a complete fleet of new trains and working closely with the local community.

“As we transition to a publicly owned railway, we remain focused on delivering outstanding levels of service for our passengers.”