Delivering public ownership of UK rail

Bringing rail operators into public ownership is a key manifesto commitment and a foundational step towards Great British Railways. The Department needed a consistent contractual framework that could be applied across the whole operator portfolio, commercial and financial leadership to support each transfer, and clear governance between DfT and DFTO as a new organisation formed around it — all while keeping services running for passengers throughout.

We designed the contractual framework for publicly owned operators, now rolled out across 10 operators, and provided commercial and financial leadership throughout the transfer of 6 operators into public ownership. We also designed the governance and ways of working between DfT and DFTO as both organisations evolved, bringing cross-programme insight into how decisions in one area affected another. As DFTO has scaled, we've drawn in specialists from across organisational design, finance, tax and change to support its growth. 

Our work has created a consistent framework for public ownership now in place across 10 operators, with 6 transfers completed to date. This has set the direction for the next phase of reform and established the governance model between DfT and DFTO. As Great British Railways takes shape, the framework we built is expected to remain a key building block, and our continued support is helping DFTO bring the remaining operators in house.