Britain marked a milestone in its rail history yesterday with the unveiling of the first Great British Railways (GBR) branded train in Brighton, and today, South Western Railway is taking centre stage.
A newly branded Arterio unit is set to arrive at London Waterloo this morning, 22 May 2026, followed by a welcome event celebrating the next step toward a unified, publicly owned railway.
This transition is part of the wider move bringing most English rail services under public control. Once the transition is complete, Great British Railways will oversee services responsible for around 80% of all passenger journeys.
From the 31st May, Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express will join the publicly run group that includes South Western Railway, West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, c2c, Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern and LNER, all currently managed by DfT Operator Limited.
For South Western Railway, today’s marks the start of a new era in which the network becomes a flagship part of Britain’s publicly owned railway future.
