Greater Anglia enters public ownership as a high-performing, award-winning operator

Greater Anglia (GA) entered public ownership at 02.00 on Sunday 12 October 2025 in good shape as one of the UK’s best performing and most decorated train operators.

The move marks the conclusion of a highly successful chapter under Transport UK’s leadership – one defined by transformation, investment and record-breaking performance for customers and communities across the East of England.

Since April 2023, Greater Anglia has been the most punctual operator in the UK, achieving 93.7% punctuality under the long-standing public performance measure and 92.8% under the more demanding “Time to 3” metric.

It has also become the only operator in the country to hold all four “Operator of the Year” titles concurrently, following wins at the National Transport Awards, National Rail Awards, Spotlight Rail Awards and Rail Business Awards.

Over the last few years, GA has replaced its entire fleet with new, more comfortable, and accessible trains featuring Wi-Fi, power and USB points, air conditioning and more seats – enabling faster journeys, new direct routes such as Norwich–Stansted Airport and improved reliability.

Martin Beable, Managing Director, Greater Anglia, said:

“Everyone at Greater Anglia is really proud to have received the Rail Operator of the Year award at the National Transport Awards.

Following on from similar accolades at the National Rail Awards, the Spotlight Rail Awards, and the Rail Business Awards, all in the last nine months, it’s another valuable independent endorsement of the progress we have made in raising service standards in recent years. All across our company, colleagues are passionate about doing their best for the customers and communities we serve.

With excellent performance, a commitment to customer service, high quality new trains, and effective partnerships with other rail industry organisations and wider stakeholders, we’re fully focused on maintaining our high standards.

“We are proud of the transformation we’ve delivered at Greater Anglia in recent years and we’re fully committed to maintaining those high standards as we pass into public ownership. We’re keen to keep on delivering service improvements for customers and communities.

I’d like to thank the GA team for all they’ve done to enable us to raise our service standards and deliver a better service for our passengers and stakeholders.

I’d also like to pay tribute to the Transport UK team for their key role in our success. Without their ambitious bid, their vision to achieve complete replacement of all our fleet with new trains and their excellent support, backing and input, the positive step change in services we’ve delivered would not have been possible.

We’re pleased to end the current era with Greater Anglia as one of the best train operators in the UK and look forward to building on that positive legacy under public ownership in the years ahead.”

Rt Hon Justine Greening, Chair of The Purpose Coalition, said:

“Greater Anglia’s track record underlines how its investment and performance over recent years have delivered real results for communities and businesses across the East of England. As it enters a new phase under public ownership, Greater Anglia is setting a high bar for what a strategic, purpose-driven railway can accomplish: driving opportunity, connecting communities and helping to power local and regional economies”