List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom

There are several companies operating trains in the United Kingdom. These include the operators of passenger services, which are, rather confusingly, officially referred to as "train operating companies

Train operating company

The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...

" or TOCs, as distinct from "freight operating companies".

Passenger operator structure in Great Britain

Sector of British Rail	Franchise	Original Privatised Operator	Current Operator(s)
InterCity	East Coast	Great North Eastern Railway Great North Eastern Railway Great North Eastern Railway was a British train operating company, owned by Sea Containers Ltd. It operated high-speed express train services on the East Coast Main Line from 1996 until 9 December 2007 when the franchise was taken over by National Express East Coast.GNER's primary service routes... (GNER)	East Coast East Coast (train operating company) East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland... formerly National Express East Coast National Express East Coast National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
	West Coast	Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...	Unchanged
	Midland	Midland Mainline Midland Mainline Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....	East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London... (EMT)
	Great Western	Great Western Trains Great Western Trains Great Western Trains was a UK train company created in the mid 1990s as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of the first two passenger companies to be privatised, passing into private ownership along with South West Trains on 4 February 1996....	First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales.... (FGW)
	Gatwick Express	Gatwick Express Gatwick Express Gatwick Express is the name given to the frequent rail shuttle service between Victoria station in London and Gatwick Airport in South East England, operated by the Southern franchise...	Southern Southern (train operating company) Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
	CrossCountry	Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...	CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
	Great Eastern	Anglia Railways Anglia Railways Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia....	National Express East Anglia Branded as ‘one’ from 2004-2008
Network SouthEast	Essex Thameside	LTS Rail	C2C C2c c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...
	Chiltern	Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...	Unchanged
	Great Eastern	First Great Eastern First Great Eastern First Great Eastern was an award-winning train operating company that operated suburban, local and medium distance train services from London Liverpool Street via Romford to Essex and Ipswich in the United Kingdom on the Great Eastern Main Line railway.First Group gained the Great Eastern... (FGE)	National Express East Anglia Branded as ‘one’ from 2004-2008
	Thames Trains	Thames Trains Thames Trains Thames Trains was a British railway company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, franchised to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London like Slough, to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Reading to Gatwick Airport...	First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales.... (FGW)
	Island Line	Island Line	Now part of South West Trains South West Trains South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight... (SWT)
	North London	North London Railways (Silverlink Silverlink Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton... )	London Midland London Midland London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007.... London Overground London Overground London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
	South Eastern	Connex South Eastern Connex South Eastern Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group and operated between 14 October 1996 and 9 November 2003. The company operated passenger services in South London and Kent...	Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise... formerly South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006.... (SET)
	South Central	Connex South Central Connex South Central Connex South Central was a short-lived train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group, and operated under the Connex brand between October 1996 until mid-2001....	Southern Southern (train operating company) Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service... Branded as SouthCentral from 2000-2004
	Thameslink	Thameslink Thameslink Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...	First Capital Connect First Capital Connect First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006... (FCC)
	West Anglia Great Northern	West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN)	National Express East Anglia West Anglia (WA) First Capital Connect First Capital Connect First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006... (FCC) Great Northern Great Northern Route The Great Northern Route is the name of the suburban rail services run on the southern end of Britain's East Coast Main Line and associated branches. Services operate to or from and in London... (GN)
	South Western	South West Trains South West Trains South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight... (SWT)	Unchanged
Regional Railways	North West	North Western Trains	Northern Rail Northern Rail Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems... Transpennine Express
	North East	Northern Spirit Northern Spirit This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...
	Scotland	ScotRail ScotRail ScotRail was a brand name used for all Scottish regional and commuter rail services, including some cross-border services, from 1997 to 2004....	First ScotRail First ScotRail ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government... (FSR)
	South Wales and West	Wales and West Wales and West Wales & West was a British Train Operating Company that ran services from 1997 to 2001, and was one of the original 25 Train Operating Companies that were set up after the UK Rail Industry was privatised...	First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales.... (FGW)
	Valley Lines	Valley Lines Valley Lines Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes is the busy network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glamorgan and the South Wales Valleys....	Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
	Merseyrail Electrics	Merseyrail Electrics Merseyrail Electrics Merseyrail Electrics was the franchise holder of the Merseyrail service from 19 January 1997. The company was owned by MTL, who were also awarded the Northern Spirit franchise. MTL became bankrupt in 1999, and the franchise was handed to Arriva Trains Merseyside.-Fleet:-External links:*...	Merseyrail Merseyrail Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
	Central	Central Trains Central Trains Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:...	CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva... London Midland London Midland London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007.... East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...

Current passenger operators

The following operate the services that comprise the National Rail

National Rail

National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...

network in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

Operator	Type	Franchise	Parent(s)	Passenger satisfaction	Start date	Expiry date	Replaced
Arriva Trains Wales/ Trenau Arriva Cymru Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...	Franchise Rail franchising in Great Britain Rail franchising in Great Britain was created by the Railways Act 1993. Passenger services are franchised, for a limited period, to train operating companies...	Wales and Borders	Arriva Group Arriva Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...	87%	2003-12-088 December 2003	2018-00-002018	Wales and Borders Wales and Borders Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...
c2c C2c c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...	Franchise	Essex Thameside	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	91%	1996-05-2626 May 1996	2013-05-2626 May 2013	Network SouthEast Network SouthEast Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter... (London, Tilbury and Southend Division)
Caledonian Sleeper Caledonian Sleeper The Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....	Branded Service	ScotRail	FirstGroup		2004-10-1717 October 2004	2014-00-002014
Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...	Franchise	Chiltern	DB Regio DB Regio DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates short and medium distance passenger train services in Germany, and operates light and heavy rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom.-Germany:...	90%	1996-07-2121 July 1996	2022-00-002022	Network SouthEast Network SouthEast Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter... (Chiltern Division)
CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...	Franchise	Cross Country	Arriva Group Arriva Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...	84%	2007-11-1111 November 2007	2016-04-011 April 2016	Central Trains Central Trains Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:... (Birmingham - Stansted & Cardiff - Nottingham route) & Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland... (Cross Country franchise)
East Coast East Coast (train operating company) East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...	Franchise	InterCity East Coast	Directly Operated Railways Directly Operated Railways Directly Operated Railways Ltd is the name given to a holding company set up by the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom. DOR took over the running of services on the East Coast franchise from 13 November 2009 and operates under the trading name of East Coast through its subsidiary East...	89%	2009-11-1414 November 2009	2013-12-00December 2013	National Express East Coast National Express East Coast National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...	Franchise	East Midlands	Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...	88%	2007-11-1111 November 2007	2015-03-3131 March 2015	Central Trains Central Trains Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:... (Liverpool - Norwich & East Midlands routes) & Midland Mainline Midland Mainline Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
Eurostar Eurostar Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....	Open-Access	N/A	Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd. Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd. Eurostar International Limited is the operator of the Eurostar service operating between London, Paris and Brussels. It was formed on 1 September 2010 and is owned by London and Continental Railways , NMBS/SNCB and SNCF... , SNCF SNCF The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network... & NMBS/SNCB NMBS/SNCB The National Railway Company of Belgium, known as the or the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges is the Belgian national railway operator.It is usually referred to in English as "Belgian Railways" or the SNCB....		1994-11-1414 November 1994
First Capital Connect First Capital Connect First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...	Franchise	Great Northern/ Thameslink	FirstGroup	76%	2006-04-011 April 2006	2015-00-00November 2015	Thameslink Thameslink (train operating company) Thameslink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, run by Govia . It operated the London commuter railway line known by the same name... & West Anglia Great Northern (Great Northern and Fenline routes)
First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....	Franchise	Greater Western	FirstGroup	82%	2006-04-011 April 2006	2013-03-3131 March 2013	First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales.... , First Great Western Link First Great Western Link First Great Western Link was a train operating company owned by First Group that provided train services, on a franchise basis, from Paddington Station to destinations such as Greenford, Slough, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Goring and Streatley, Henley-on-Thames, Newbury, Bedwyn, Hereford, Worcester... , Wessex Trains Wessex Trains Wessex Trains was the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operated trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester and Brighton...
First Hull Trains	Open-Access	N/A	First Group & Renaissance Trains Renaissance Trains Renaissance Trains is a company formed in 1997 with the purpose of promoting and investing in "open access" passenger and freight rail businesses in the United Kingdom, as well as promoting and investing in rail industry innovation. Its shareholders are John Nelson, Peter Wilkinson, Mike Jones and...	93%	2000-09-2525 September 2000	2016-00-002016
First ScotRail First ScotRail ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...	Franchise	ScotRail	FirstGroup	86%	2004-10-1717 October 2004	2014-00-00November 2014	ScotRail ScotRail ScotRail was a brand name used for all Scottish regional and commuter rail services, including some cross-border services, from 1997 to 2004....
First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...	Franchise	TransPennine	First Group & Keolis Keolis Keolis is the largest private sector French transport group. It runs passenger railways, tramways, bus networks, funiculars, trolley buses, and airport services. The company, based in Paris, is majority owned by SNCF, the French state rail operator. AXA Private Equity and Caisse de dépôt et...	87%	2004-02-011 February 2004	2012-00-002012/2017	Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva.... & First North Western First North Western First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. It operated from 1997 to 2004.The company when first privatised was known as North Western Trains and was owned by Great Western Holdings, a partnership between Great Western's management, First...
Gatwick Express Gatwick Express Gatwick Express is the name given to the frequent rail shuttle service between Victoria station in London and Gatwick Airport in South East England, operated by the Southern franchise...	Branded Service	South Central	Govia Govia Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...		2008-06-2222 June 2008	2015-07-00July 2015/July 2017
Grand Central	Open-Access	N/A	Arriva Group Arriva Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each... (Equishare Partners to November 2011)	95%	2007-12-1818 December 2007	2016-00-002016
Heathrow Connect Heathrow Connect Heathrow Connect is a train operating company in London provided jointly by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with station. The service follows the same route as the Heathrow Express service but serves intermediate stations en route, thus connecting several...	Open-Access	N/A	BAA & First Group	92%	2005-06-1212 June 2005
Heathrow Express Heathrow Express Heathrow Express is an airport rail link from London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station in London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA. It was opened by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998...	Open-Access	N/A	BAA	93%	1998-06-2323 June 1998
Island Line Trains	Branded Service	South Western	Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...		2007-02-044 February 2007	2017-02-00February 2017
London Midland London Midland London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....	Franchise	West Midlands	Govia Govia Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...	86%	2007-11-1111 November 2007	2015-09-1919 September 2015	Central Trains Central Trains Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:... (Birmingham routes) & Silverlink Silverlink Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton... (Northampton Line)
London Overground	TfL contract Transport for London Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...	London Overground	MTR Corporation MTR Corporation MTR Corporation Limited is a company listed on the Hong Kong Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Index. MTR owns and runs the Hong Kong MTR metro system, and is also a major property developer and landlord in Hong Kong... /DB Regio DB Regio DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates short and medium distance passenger train services in Germany, and operates light and heavy rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom.-Germany:...	85%	2007-11-1111 November 2007	2014-00-002014/2016	Silverlink Silverlink Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton... (North London Lines)
Merseyrail Merseyrail Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...	Merseytravel contract Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive The Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...	Merseyrail	Serco Group Serco Group Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:... & Abellio Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...	93%	2003-07-2020 July 2003	2028-00-002028	Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside was a train operating company operating passenger trains in Merseyside . The previous franchise holder was Merseyrail Electrics. Arriva bought the parent company MTL following bankruptcy in 1999, upon which the franchise was renamed Arriva Trains Merseyside...
National Express East Anglia	Franchise	Greater Anglia	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	79%	2004-04-011 April 2004	2012-02-055 February 2012	'one' brand (see below), formerly Anglia Railways Anglia Railways Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia.... , First Great Eastern First Great Eastern First Great Eastern was an award-winning train operating company that operated suburban, local and medium distance train services from London Liverpool Street via Romford to Essex and Ipswich in the United Kingdom on the Great Eastern Main Line railway.First Group gained the Great Eastern... & West Anglia Great Northern Railway (West Anglia Main Line and Lea Valley Lines)
Night Riviera Night Riviera The Night Riviera is a sleeper train service operated by First Great Western. It is one of only two remaining sleeper services on the railway in Great Britain...	Branded Service	Greater Western	First Group		2006-04-011 April 2006	2016-00-002016
Northern Rail Northern Rail Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...	Franchise	Northern	Serco Group Serco Group Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:... & Abellio Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...	82%	2004-12-1212 December 2004	2013-09-00September 2013	Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva.... & First North Western First North Western First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. It operated from 1997 to 2004.The company when first privatised was known as North Western Trains and was owned by Great Western Holdings, a partnership between Great Western's management, First...
North Yorkshire Moors Railway North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...	Open-Access	N/A	Yorkshire Moors Railway Enterprises plc		2007-04-00April 2007		(additional —Grosmont Grosmont railway station Grosmont railway station serves the village of Grosmont in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Esk Valley Line which serves one platform and is operated by Northern Rail who provide the station's passenger services... —Whitby Whitby railway station Whitby railway station serves the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. It is the terminus of the Esk Valley Line, connecting with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway at Grosmont, and provides mainline running for NYMR trains during the summer months... services)
Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...	Franchise	Integrated Kent	Govia Govia Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...	80%	2006-04-011 April 2006	2014-03-3131 March 2014	South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006....
Southern Southern (train operating company) Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...	Franchise	South Central	Govia Govia Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...	82%	2001-08-2626 August 2001	2015-07-00July 2015/July 2017	Connex South Central Connex South Central Connex South Central was a short-lived train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group, and operated under the Connex brand between October 1996 until mid-2001....
South West Trains South West Trains South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...	Franchise	South Western	Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...	87%	2007-02-044 February 2007	2017-02-00February 2017	South West Trains South West Trains South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight... & Island Line Island Line, Isle of Wight The Island Line is a railway line on the Isle of Wight, running some from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin down the eastern side of the island. The line was electrified in 1967. Trains connect with passenger ferries to Portsmouth Harbour at Ryde Pier Head, and these ferries in turn connect with the...
Stansted Express Stansted Express Stansted Express is a sub-brand of National Express East Anglia. It is the direct train service linking central London to Stansted Airport, one of London's major air hubs...	Branded service	Greater Anglia	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...		2004-04-011 April 2004	2011-03-1131 March 2011
Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...	Franchise	InterCity West Coast	Virgin Group Virgin Group Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding... & Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...	90%	1997-03-099 March 1997	2012-03-318 December 2012	InterCity InterCity (British Rail) InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services .... (West Coast Division)
West Coast Railway Company West Coast Railway Company West Coast Railways, also known as West Coast Railway Company, is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator, based at Carnforth in Lancashire, on the site of the old Steamtown heritage depot...	Open-Access	N/A			1998		(additional — services)

There are also several heritage lines and light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

systems.

Defunct operating companies

A number of operating companies have ceased to exist for a number of reasons, including premature withdrawal of the franchise; the natural term of the franchise has expired; bankruptcy; or there has been a merger.

Operator	Type	Franchise	Parent(s)	Date started	Date ceased	Replaced by
Anglia Railways Anglia Railways Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia....	Franchise	Anglia	GB Railways GB Railways GB Railways was a company created in 1995 by Michael Schabas, Jeremy Long, Jim Morgan and Max Steinkopf to bid for British railway franchises. The company won the Anglia Railways rail franchise in 1997. In 1999 it successfully acquired the passenger services of Australian National Railways, in a...	5 January 1997	1 April 2004	'one' (Now National Express East Anglia)
Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside was a train operating company operating passenger trains in Merseyside . The previous franchise holder was Merseyrail Electrics. Arriva bought the parent company MTL following bankruptcy in 1999, upon which the franchise was renamed Arriva Trains Merseyside...	Franchise	Merseyside	Arriva Group Arriva Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...	1999	June 2003	Merseyrail Merseyrail Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva....	Franchise	Regional Railways North East	Arriva Group Arriva Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...	2001	12 December 2004	Split into Northern Rail Northern Rail Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems... & TransPennine Express
Central Trains Central Trains Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:...	Franchise	Central	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	2 March 1997	11 November 2007	Split into CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva... , East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London... & London Midland London Midland London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
Central Citylink Central Citylink Central Citylink was the brand name used from 2003 by Central Trains for their long distance services across the Midlands rail network. Citylink services were clearly distinguished in station announcements and timetables...	Branded Service	Part of Central	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	2 March 1997	11 November 2007	Split into CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva... , East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London... & London Midland London Midland London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
Connex South Central Connex South Central Connex South Central was a short-lived train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group, and operated under the Connex brand between October 1996 until mid-2001....	Franchise	South Central	Connex	1996	2001	Southern Southern (train operating company) Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
Connex South Eastern Connex South Eastern Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group and operated between 14 October 1996 and 9 November 2003. The company operated passenger services in South London and Kent...	Franchise	South Eastern	Connex	1996	9 November 2003	South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006....
First Great Eastern First Great Eastern First Great Eastern was an award-winning train operating company that operated suburban, local and medium distance train services from London Liverpool Street via Romford to Essex and Ipswich in the United Kingdom on the Great Eastern Main Line railway.First Group gained the Great Eastern...	Franchise	Great Eastern	First Group	January 1997	1 April 2004	'one' (Now National Express East Anglia)
First Great Western Link First Great Western Link First Great Western Link was a train operating company owned by First Group that provided train services, on a franchise basis, from Paddington Station to destinations such as Greenford, Slough, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Goring and Streatley, Henley-on-Thames, Newbury, Bedwyn, Hereford, Worcester...	Franchise	Thames	First Group	April 2004	1 April 2006	Merged with First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
First North Western First North Western First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. It operated from 1997 to 2004.The company when first privatised was known as North Western Trains and was owned by Great Western Holdings, a partnership between Great Western's management, First...	Franchise	North West Regional Railways	First Group	2 March 1997	12 December 2004	Split into Northern Rail Northern Rail Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems... & TransPennine Express
Gatwick Express Gatwick Express Gatwick Express is the name given to the frequent rail shuttle service between Victoria station in London and Gatwick Airport in South East England, operated by the Southern franchise...	Franchise	Gatwick Express	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	April 28, 1996	June 22, 2008	Southern Southern (train operating company) Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service... (continued as sub brand)
Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) Great North Eastern Railway Great North Eastern Railway was a British train operating company, owned by Sea Containers Ltd. It operated high-speed express train services on the East Coast Main Line from 1996 until 9 December 2007 when the franchise was taken over by National Express East Coast.GNER's primary service routes...	Franchise	InterCity East Coast	Sea Containers Sea Containers Ltd Sea Containers Ltd. is a Bermuda-registered company which operates two main business areas: transport and container leasing.In March 2006 the company sold its share of Orient-Express Hotels...	April 1996	08 December 2007	National Express East Coast National Express East Coast National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
Great Western Trains Great Western Trains Great Western Trains was a UK train company created in the mid 1990s as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of the first two passenger companies to be privatised, passing into private ownership along with South West Trains on 4 February 1996....	Franchise	Great Western	Great Western Holdings Great Western Holdings Great Western Holdings was a company created to bid for the Great Western rail franchise in the United Kingdom. The company consisted of 51 per cent management buyout 24.5 per cent Badgerline and 24.5 per cent 3i. The company won the Great Western franchise and operated it under the name Great...	1996	1998	First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
Island Line Island Line (train operating company) Island Line Trains is a sub-brand of South West Trains, a train operating company on Great Britain's National Rail Network, operating the 8½ mile Island Line on the Isle of Wight.-Before "Island Line":...	Franchise	Island Line	Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...	1996	3 February 2007	Merged with South West Trains South West Trains South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
Merseyrail Electrics Merseyrail Electrics Merseyrail Electrics was the franchise holder of the Merseyrail service from 19 January 1997. The company was owned by MTL, who were also awarded the Northern Spirit franchise. MTL became bankrupt in 1999, and the franchise was handed to Arriva Trains Merseyside.-Fleet:-External links:*...	Franchise	Merseyrail	MTL	1997	February 2000	Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside was a train operating company operating passenger trains in Merseyside . The previous franchise holder was Merseyrail Electrics. Arriva bought the parent company MTL following bankruptcy in 1999, upon which the franchise was renamed Arriva Trains Merseyside...
Midland Mainline Midland Mainline Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....	Franchise	Midland Main Line	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	April 1996	11 November 2007	East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
National Express East Coast National Express East Coast National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...	Franchise	InterCity East Coast	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	2007-12-0909 December 2007	2009-11-1313 November 2009	East Coast East Coast (train operating company) East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
Northern Spirit Northern Spirit This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...	Franchise	Regional Railways North East	MTL	1997	February 2000	Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva....
North Western Trains	Franchise	North West Regional Railways	Great Western Holdings Great Western Holdings Great Western Holdings was a company created to bid for the Great Western rail franchise in the United Kingdom. The company consisted of 51 per cent management buyout 24.5 per cent Badgerline and 24.5 per cent 3i. The company won the Great Western franchise and operated it under the name Great...	2 March 1997	1998	First North Western First North Western First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. It operated from 1997 to 2004.The company when first privatised was known as North Western Trains and was owned by Great Western Holdings, a partnership between Great Western's management, First...
ScotRail ScotRail ScotRail was a brand name used for all Scottish regional and commuter rail services, including some cross-border services, from 1997 to 2004....	Franchise	ScotRail	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	1997	17 October 2004	First ScotRail First ScotRail ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains South Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006....	Franchise	South Eastern	Strategic Rail Authority Strategic Rail Authority In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....	9 November 2003	1 April 2006	Southeastern Southeastern (train operating company) London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
Silverlink Silverlink Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton... (previously known as North London Railways)	Franchise	North London Railways	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	2 March 1997	11 November 2007	Split into London Midland London Midland London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007.... & London Overground London Overground London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
Thames Trains Thames Trains Thames Trains was a British railway company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, franchised to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London like Slough, to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Reading to Gatwick Airport...	Franchise	Thames	Go-Ahead Group Go-Ahead Group The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...	October 1996	1 April 2004	First Great Western Link First Great Western Link First Great Western Link was a train operating company owned by First Group that provided train services, on a franchise basis, from Paddington Station to destinations such as Greenford, Slough, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Goring and Streatley, Henley-on-Thames, Newbury, Bedwyn, Hereford, Worcester...
Thameslink Thameslink (train operating company) Thameslink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, run by Govia . It operated the London commuter railway line known by the same name...	Franchise	Thameslink	Govia Govia Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...	2 March 1997	1 April 2006	First Capital Connect First Capital Connect First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
Cardiff Railway Company	Franchise	Valley Lines	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	1995	14 October 2001	Merged with Wales and Borders Wales and Borders Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...
Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland... (Cross Country franchise)	Franchise	Cross Country	Virgin Group Virgin Group Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding... & Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...	5 January 1997	11 November 2007	CrossCountry CrossCountry CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva... , Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland... (West Coast franchise), First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
West Anglia Great Northern Railway (West Anglia Main Line West Anglia Main Line The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main lines which run from London Liverpool Street, the other being the Great Eastern Main Line. It runs generally north from London, through the towns of Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Audley End station before reaching Cambridge,... and Lea Valley Lines Lea Valley Lines The Lea Valley Lines are three commuter lines and two branches in North East London, so named because they run along the valley of the River Lea... )	Franchise	West Anglia Great Northern	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	April 2004	1 April 2004	'one' (Now National Express East Anglia)
West Anglia Great Northern Railway (Great Northern and Fenline Fen Line The Fen Line is a railway in the United Kingdom that runs between the cities of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and King's Lynn, Norfolk; the line is so called because it runs through The Fens. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5 and comprises SRS 05.06 and part of 05.05... routes)	Franchise	West Anglia Great Northern	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	April 2004	1 April 2006	First Capital Connect First Capital Connect First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
Wales and Borders Wales and Borders Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...	Franchise	Wales and Borders	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	14 October 2001	7 December 2003	Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
Wales and West Wales and West Wales & West was a British Train Operating Company that ran services from 1997 to 2001, and was one of the original 25 Train Operating Companies that were set up after the UK Rail Industry was privatised...	Franchise	Wales and West	Prism Rail Prism Rail Prism Rail was established in 1995 to acquire passenger rail franchises being made available under the Government's rail privatisation programme. It bid for 17 franchises, was shortlisted for 12 and was ultimately awarded 4, which were LTS Rail, Wales and West, WAGN and Valley Lines Trains.Of the...	1997	14 October 2001	Split into Wales and Borders Wales and Borders Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury... & Wessex Trains Wessex Trains Wessex Trains was the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operated trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester and Brighton...
Wessex Trains Wessex Trains Wessex Trains was the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operated trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester and Brighton...	Franchise	Wessex	National Express Group National Express Group National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...	14 October 2001	1 April 2006	Merged with First Great Western First Great Western First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
Wrexham & Shropshire	Open-Access	Wrexham to London	DB Regio DB Regio DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates short and medium distance passenger train services in Germany, and operates light and heavy rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom.-Germany:... /Renaissance Trains Renaissance Trains Renaissance Trains is a company formed in 1997 with the purpose of promoting and investing in "open access" passenger and freight rail businesses in the United Kingdom, as well as promoting and investing in rail industry innovation. Its shareholders are John Nelson, Peter Wilkinson, Mike Jones and...	28 April 2008	28 January 2011	Closed by parent due to lack of profitability

Future operators

Abellio Greater Anglia takes over Greater Anglia Franchise from National Express East Anglia from 5 February 2012 for 29 months.
Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...

, a franchise to be let by TfL managing the cross London Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...

/Heathrow to Shenfield
Shenfield
Shenfield is a former village and now an outer suburb of Brentwood in the borough of the same name in Essex, England.-History:The name originates from the Anglo-Saxon Chenefield, meaning 'good lands'....

/Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is a district of South-East London, England, located mostly in the London Borough of Greenwich, and partly within the London Borough of Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross.-Development:...

rail link. It will take over control of its first services from 2014 with the full franchise operating from 2018.
Renaissance Trains
Renaissance Trains
Renaissance Trains is a company formed in 1997 with the purpose of promoting and investing in "open access" passenger and freight rail businesses in the United Kingdom, as well as promoting and investing in rail industry innovation. Its shareholders are John Nelson, Peter Wilkinson, Mike Jones and...

, former owner of Wrexham & Shropshire, has proposed running services to several destinations under a number of brand names:
- Glasgow Trains
  Glasgow Trains
  Glasgow Trains is a proposed open access rail operator in Great Britain from Renaissance Trains. They would offer a twice daily direct service between Liverpool and Glasgow with intermediate stops at Preston and Carlisle...
  
  has proposed to run services between Glasgow
  Glasgow
  Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
  
  to Blackpool
  Blackpool
  Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
  
  , Liverpool
  Liverpool
  Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
  
  and Nottingham
  Nottingham
  Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
  
  .
- Humber Coast & City Railway are planning to run services between Cleethorpes
  Cleethorpes
  Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
  
  and Lincoln
  Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
  
  to Stratford, London
  Stratford, London
  Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
  
  via Peterborough
  Peterborough
  Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
  
  and Cambridge
  Cambridge
  The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
  
  .
Alliance Rail Holdings
Alliance Rail Holdings
Alliance Rail Holdings is a proposed train operating company in the United Kingdom and is finalising its development plans for the operation of new rail services on a number of routes through its subsidiaries Great North Western Railway Co Ltd and Great North Eastern Railway Co Ltd...

proposes Great North Eastern Railway and Great North Western Railway services from 2013.
Go! Cooperative
Go! Cooperative
Go! Cooperative Ltd, now trading as GOCO, is an open access UK Train Operating Company which is currently proposing to operate a service between Yeovil and Birmingham, via Oxford...

(GOCO) proposes open-access services between Westbury
Westbury railway station
Westbury railway station serves the town of Westbury, Wiltshire, England. The station is managed by First Great Western.The station is a major junction, serving the Reading to Plymouth Line with services to and from Penzance and London Paddington, the Wessex Main Line with services to and from...

(Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

) and Birmingham Moor Street
Birmingham Moor Street railway station
Birmingham Moor Street railway station is one of three main railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham, England. The Grade II listed old station building has been partially renovated to its 1930s condition at a cost of £11 million....

from 2013.
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...

, the German national railway company, plans to utilise the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...

and High Speed 1 to link London with Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

from December 2013.

Passenger operators in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

passenger trains are still government-owned, under the auspices of Translink

Translink (Northern Ireland)

Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company , a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the public transport in the region. NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Metro are all part of Translink....

. The following brands are used:

Northern Ireland Railways
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...

- (domestic services)
Enterprise - (Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

-Dublin service, jointly operated by Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...

)

Railtour operators

Statesman Rail
Compass Tours
Compass Tours
Compass Tours is a British railtour organiser specialising in excursions with diesel locomotives like the class 47. The brand was conceived initially in 2003....
DPS Railtours
Deltic Preservation Society
The Deltic Preservation Society is a railway preservation group based in the United Kingdom dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the remaining Class 55 "Deltic" diesel locomotives operated by British Rail from the 1960s to the 1980s.-Formation:...
Stobart Pullman
Stobart Pullman
The Stobart Pullman was a railtour operator in the United Kingdom, operating pullman type charter trains, as Stobart Rail Tours. The company was a subsidiary of Eddie Stobart Ltd. and was operated by Stobart’s rail partner, Direct Rail Services...
Pathfinder Tours
Pathfinder Tours
Pathfinder Tours is a railtour operating company operating in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1973 by Peter Watts, who organised a rail journey from Severnside to the Cambrian coast. The company organises tours for both rail enthusiasts, and general tours to places of interest...
Scottish Railway Preservation Society
Scottish Railway Preservation Society
The Scottish Railway Preservation Society is a charity, whose principal objective is the preservation and advancement of railway heritage in Scotland. The Society was formed in 1961, and it has been actively collecting and displaying railway artifacts of Scottish significance ever since...
Venice-Simplon Orient Express
Venice-Simplon Orient Express
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a private luxury train service that travels from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express....
Vintage Trains
Retro Railtours
Green Express Railtours
Kingfisher Railtours

In Northern Ireland

Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
Irish Traction Group
Irish Traction Group
The Irish Traction Group is a railway preservation society dedicated to preserving diesel locomotives from Irish Railways. It was formed in 1989, with the intention of attempting to preserve at least one example of every type of diesel locomotive to have operated on Irish Rail.They currently own 13...
The Modern Railway Society of Ireland

Freight operators

Colas Rail
Direct Rail Services
Direct Rail Services
Direct Rail Services is a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The company started rail operations in 1995 using five heavily refurbished Class 20/3 diesel locomotives. Since then it has expanded greatly, and has acquired many more locomotives, most bought...

(formerly incorporating Stobart Rail
Stobart Rail
Stobart Rail is a railway freight service operator in the United Kingdom. Stobart Rail now comes under the Stobart Transport and Distribution division of the Stobart Group, and carries intermodal freight for the group...

service)
DB Schenker Rail (replaced English, Welsh and Scottish Railway and now incorporating Stobart Rail
Stobart Rail
Stobart Rail is a railway freight service operator in the United Kingdom. Stobart Rail now comes under the Stobart Transport and Distribution division of the Stobart Group, and carries intermodal freight for the group...

service)
Freightliner
Freightliner (UK)
Freightliner Group Limited is a rail freight and logistics company, founded in 1995 and now operating in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia. It is the second largest rail freight operator in the UK, after DB Schenker Rail .- History :...
GBRf
Mendip Rail
Mendip Rail
Mendip Rail Ltd is an independent freight operating railway company in Great Britain. It is composed of the rail-operation divisions of Aggregate Industries and Hanson Aggregates ....

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