Train services between Southend and London have returned to public ownership for the first time in 30 years, as the government takes control of the c2c line previously operated by Italian firm Trenitalia.
The move means c2c, which runs trains between Shoeburyness and Fenchurch Street, is now part of Great British Railways (GBR) – the state-owned body being developed to manage rail operations and infrastructure across England, Scotland and Wales.
The c2c National Rail Contract officially ended at 2am on Sunday, making it the second train operator to be renationalised under Labour’s Public Ownership Programme. All services are now run by DFTO (DfT Operator Ltd), a government-owned company.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Whether you’re shopping in Lakeside or walking along the beach in Southend-on-Sea, from this Sunday you will be able to get there on a train service run by the public, for the public.
“Public ownership is already tackling deep-rooted problems we see on the railway that’s led to spiralling costs, fragmentation and waste. A unified network under Great British Railways will take this further with one railway under one brand with one mission – delivering excellent services for passengers wherever they travel.”
The renationalisation of c2c is part of Labour’s wider plan to bring the railway system back under public control, as outlined in the recently passed Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024. The new law allows the government to take rail contracts back into public hands as each private franchise expires.
Under the existing model, operators ran services on behalf of the Department for Transport for fixed terms. c2c had been operating under a National Rail Contract since July 2021, after traditional rail franchises were scrapped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
c2c’s current managing director Rob Mullen said: “We are proud of the reliable and high level of service we offer our passengers, consistently being rated as one of the best performing operators in the country.
“We now have a golden opportunity to collaborate with the wider family of publicly owned operators, sharing our successes and best practice, but also learning from a wide range of different and diverse operators who have already benefited from public ownership, to drive even more improvements for the people and places we all serve.
“A unified and focused railway can deliver more for our communities, including better growth, jobs and houses. If we are thriving as a train operator it helps our communities to thrive. This is the positive feedback loop we are excited to deliver, supported by better and closer collaboration with our partners in the lead up to GBR.”
The c2c line, originally known as LTS (London, Tilbury and Southend), launched in May 1996 under National Express. It was rebranded to c2c shortly after. National Express won a second term in 2014, before selling the operation to Trenitalia in 2017.
All tickets for journeys on c2c remain valid. The change is expected to lead to a more integrated and streamlined national rail service, with new public-led improvements rolled out over the coming months.
Great British Railways will eventually absorb infrastructure responsibilities from Network Rail, aiming to create a unified railway under one organisation, with simpler branding and more accountability.