On Sunday (25 May), South Western Railway (SWR) became the first private train operator to become nationalised under the new Labour government's The Passenger Railways Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, which was passed in Parliament in November.

SWR services will now be operated by a new company – South Western Railway Limited – as part of a planned transition into public ownership, and according to the Labour party, will eventually transfer into Great British Railways (GBR), once established.

And the Chair of Kingston and Surbiton Labour, Kezia Coleman, has praised the move, saying: ""For Kingston commuters and communities across the South West, this signals a long-overdue shift, from a broken, fragmented system to one designed around the people who use it every day."

Labour hopes the transition will turn SWR into a passenger-focused rail service after "years of delays, disruption, and private operators putting profit before passengers".

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander said: "I'm really proud of what we're intending to do. It will take time but now we will be able to look at increasing our passenger services."

She added: "Make the passengers feel better on the trains from planning the journey to finding your tickets and if you're delayed, they'll be an instant repayment."

SWR said: "Although the legal operator is changing, your experience won't. You'll continue to see the same branding, same services, and the same teams running your trains. 

"There will also be some new responsibilities – such as the Freedom of Information Act – but these won't affect how your data is used day to day."