The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that Chiltern Railways services will move into public ownership this Sunday (20 September 2026).
Providing connections between London Marylebone with communities across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands; Chiltern Railways is set to become the sixth operator to transfer its services into public ownership – further advancing the formation of Great British Railways.
The transfer is expected to enable a package of new improvements for Chiltern passengers, including more services and seats, new trains, upgraded stations and better facilities on board, as well as the further realisation of East West Rail.
Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said:From this Sunday, Chiltern Railways passengers will be travelling on rail services back in public hands.
Every transfer into public ownership gives us the chance to tackle the bread-and-butter issues people care about – more frequent, comfortable trains that turn up on time.
As we set up Great British Railways, we’re putting passengers first. It will not happen overnight, but we will build a railway the country can trust and rely on and that will create growth, jobs and homes.
Following Chiltern Railways’ transition to public ownership, passengers are set to benefit from 25 extra services each weekday, which will include a half hourly service on the Chiltern Mainline between London and Birmingham, providing almost 10,000 extra seats every weekday, nearly 5,000 on Saturdays and over 3,000 on Sundays.
The updated timetable will also see a set of six Chiltern Explorer trains enter service in December, bringing the passenger service fleet to 13. These new trains are expected to increase capacity and provide improved accessibility, air conditioning and enhanced wifi.
Elsewhere, a 12 million GBP refurbishment programme of Chiltern’s existing Class 168 fleet will continue, which will include the installation of upgraded wifi, power and USB charging at every seat, as well as refreshed interiors, by 2028.
Investments will be made to improve stations across the network, including refurbished toilets, painting, deep cleaning and graffiti removal, with Haddenham and Thame Parkway set to see the reopening of 200 previously closed car park spaces, improving access. Additionally, new signage at 5 of Chiltern’s busiest stations will aim to provide passengers with more details, alongside upgraded customer information screens, help points and accessible ramps.
Tony Baxter, Interim Managing Director of Chiltern Railways, said:Sunday is a significant milestone for Chiltern Railways and we look forward to working together with the wider rail industry to deliver a better railway for everyone in Great Britain.
Over the next 12 months, our customers in London, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands will benefit from more new trains, more services, thousands of additional seats, improvements to stations and on-board facilities and the ability to use their ticket on other operators when faced with disruption – customer improvements made possible thanks to years of planning, dedication and hard work by Chiltern colleagues.
Public ownership will further strengthen that progress through closer collaboration across the industry, helping us share best practice, drive innovation and focus on what matters most to customers, businesses and communities across our network.
The next operator to transfer its services into public ownership will be Great Western Railway, which will make the move on 13 December 2026 ahead of completion of the full public ownership programme by the end of 2027.
