Britain’s railways are set to come back into public ownership after years of private sector mishandling.
Members of the House of Lords passed the Passenger Rail Services (Public Ownership) Bill, meaning it now only needs Royal assent to go into law.
Sources in the government expressed surprise at the speed with which peers voted through the bill.
It means that Sir Keir Starmer’s government has achieved its first major public service reform since coming into office on 5 July.
A proud Sir Keir tweeted: “We said we would create Great British Railways. We are.”
The rail networks will now come into public ownership under the new operating body Greater British Rail, which will be set up via the bill.
As private sector contracts come to an end, Greater British Rail will take ownership and control of the lines.
The railways are expected to be renationalised by the next election.
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