Chiltern Railways brought into public ownership

Chiltern Railways brought into public ownership with more daily services and more reliable journeys.

Chiltern Railways services will move into public ownership this Sunday (20 September 2026), as the government drives forward change to bring the essentials in life back under stronger public control and finally deliver the rail services people deserve.

Connecting London Marylebone with communities across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands, Chiltern Railways will become the sixth operator whose services transfer into public ownership, which will support more reliable trains for the thousands of people who rely on them every day to get to work, school and see family and friends.

The transfer will pave the way for a package of improvements for Chiltern passengers, including more services and seats, new trains, upgraded stations and better facilities on board. Public ownership also provides a fresh opportunity to deliver East West Rail and its benefits to passengers.

For many who use Chiltern services, overcrowding has become a daily frustration, especially in peak hours. To tackle this, 25 additional daily services will be introduced from December, providing 10,000 extra seats each weekday. The rollout of new state-of-the-art trains will increase capacity while improving accessibility and providing better wifi on board.