DfT Operator

DfT Operator

Company type	Holding company
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	24 May 2018
Products	Public transport
Owner	HM Government
Subsidiaries	London North Eastern Railway Northern Trains Southeastern TransPennine Express South Western Railway
Website	gov.uk/government/organisations/dft-operator-limited

DfT Operator is a government-owned holding company established in 2018. It was created by the government to take over train companies in England that are either failing financially or being re-nationalised.^[1]

It has been the largest operator of passenger rail services in Great Britain since 2023.

DfT Operator was founded on 24 May 2018 as DfT OLR Holdings.

It was created as a subsidiary of the Department for Transport (DfT) with its main purpose being to ensure rail services continue if the franchise fails.

Through the company, the DfT could take ownership of train operating companies (TOCs) when a franchise is terminated early or not renewed.

In May 2024, the Labour Party confirmed if they won the general election that the railways would be re-nationalised. After Labour won the election, they began the process of rail renationalisation.^[2]

In November 2024, Parliament passed the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 which acts as the first phase of the government's wider rail reforms. Under the legislation, all franchised train operating companies will be returned to public ownership as their contracts expire.^[3]

In May 2025, South Western Railway was the first operator to be re-nationalised.^[4] This will be followed by c2c in July 2025 and Greater Anglia in October 2025. Following this, it is expected that the remaining operators will gradually be transferred to public ownership every three months.^[5]

Eventually, DFTO will be integrated into Great British Railways, a new state-owned company that will re-integrate the operation of infrastructure and train services.

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