Government takes over another UK train operator this weekend – with USB charging added to every seat and better WiFi
Key Points
- Chiltern Railways transfers into public ownership on 20 September, the sixth operator to do so
- Six more Chiltern Explorer trains arrive in December, completing a fleet of 13 with enhanced wifi
- A £12 million refit adds USB charging, power and upgraded wifi to every seat on the Class 168 fleet by 2028
- 25 extra weekday services from December add almost 10,000 seats a day between London and Birmingham
- Great Western Railway follows on 13 December 2026, with the full programme complete by end of 2027
Chiltern Railways moves into public ownership on Sunday (20 September), with the Department for Transport promising 25 extra daily services, 13 new trains and USB charging at every seat across the existing fleet.
The Department for Transport announced the transfer this week, making Chiltern the sixth operator to move into public hands under the current government.
Chiltern runs services from London Marylebone to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands, carrying almost 20 million passengers a year.
New trains and better WiFi
Six more Chiltern Explorer trains will enter service as part of the December 2026 timetable, completing a fleet of 13. The department said the new trains will add capacity and bring air conditioning, improved accessibility and enhanced wifi to services between London and the West Midlands.
A £12 million refurbishment of Chiltern’s existing Class 168 fleet will continue after the transfer. The programme will fit upgraded wifi, power and USB charging at every seat, alongside refreshed interiors, with completion due by 2028.
Five of Chiltern’s busiest stations will get new signage, upgraded customer information screens, help points and accessible ramps.
More services and seats from December
A new timetable from December will add 25 services each weekday, including a half-hourly service throughout the day on the Chiltern Mainline between London and Birmingham.
The department said this will provide almost 10,000 extra seats every weekday, nearly 5,000 on Saturdays and more than 3,000 on Sundays.
Stations across the network will receive refurbished toilets, painting, deep cleaning and graffiti removal. At Haddenham and Thame Parkway, 200 previously closed car park spaces will reopen.
From 20 September, Chiltern passengers whose train is cancelled will also be able to travel on another operator’s service at no extra cost.
“Every transfer into public ownership gives us the chance to tackle the bread-and-butter issues people care about – more frequent, comfortable trains that turn up on time,” said Lord Hendy, Rail Minister.
The department said public ownership also provides a fresh opportunity to deliver East West Rail, the line linking Oxford and Cambridge, and its benefits for passengers.
“Over the next 12 months, our customers in London, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands will benefit from more new trains, more services, thousands of additional seats, improvements to stations and on-board facilities and the ability to use their ticket on other operators when faced with disruption,” said Tony Baxter, interim Managing Director of Chiltern Railways.
The department said transfers ahead of the creation of Great British Railways have already frozen fares for the first time in 30 years and added 76,000 extra seats a week across the network.
It added that a fleet of new GBR trains will be built in Britain to serve major cities across the north.
Great Western Railway will be the next operator to transfer into public ownership, on 13 December 2026. The government expects to complete the full public ownership programme by the end of 2027.
