Train operating company facts for kids

A Train Operating Company (TOC) is a special company in Great Britain that runs passenger trains for people to travel on. These companies are part of the National Rail system. They were created after the railway system, which used to be called British Rail, became private in 1993.

Most of these companies have special agreements called "franchises" with the Department for Transport (DfT). This means they get to run trains on certain routes for a set time. A few other companies are "open-access operators." They have special permission to run extra trains on routes they choose. These companies can run services as long as their permission lasts. Over time, many of these franchises have changed, been split up, or taken over by new companies. Sometimes, if a private company isn't doing well, the government might take over its services for a while.

The term TOC can also describe companies that run passenger or freight trains on tracks owned by another company or a national railway network.

Who Manages Train Companies?

At first, a group called the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) managed these train agreements. Later, the Strategic Rail Authority took over, but it was also closed down.

Now, in England, the Department for Transport (DfT) is mostly in charge of these agreements. In Scotland, it's Transport Scotland. In Wales, since 2017, Transport for Wales decides how the trains in Wales and its border areas will run.

Some local groups also manage train services:

• In Merseyside, the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive manages the Merseyrail trains.
• In London, Transport for London (TfL) looks after the London Overground and Elizabeth line services.
• The London Underground is part of TfL and runs its own trains on its own network, so it's not called a Train Operating Company in the same way.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) helps all the train companies work together. They create the national timetable and online journey planner. They also manage the different Railcard discount schemes. Even Eurostar, which isn't a TOC, is part of the RDG.

How Train Companies Work

The railway system in the United Kingdom is split into two main parts: one for Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Wight) and another for Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland system is connected to the Republic of Ireland's railways.

Great Britain's Railways

In Great Britain, many companies run passenger train services. These are the Train Operating Companies (TOCs). They usually have regional franchises given by the DfT. Before 2005, the Strategic Rail Authority did this.

The railway tracks and signals in England, Scotland, and Wales are owned and managed by Network Rail, not the train companies. Network Rail took over from Railtrack in 2002. Most passenger trains themselves are owned by special companies called rolling stock companies (ROSCOs). These ROSCOs then lease the trains to the individual TOCs. However, a few TOCs own and look after some of their own trains.

Train operating companies also manage most of the stations. They lease the station buildings and land from Network Rail. Network Rail manages some very busy stations, and a few stations are run by London Underground or other companies.

All passenger TOCs in Great Britain are privately owned. Most of them have franchises to run trains on specific parts of the railway and are part of the National Rail brand. Some companies, called open-access operators, can also bid for specific times on the railway to run their own services. These are not franchise holders.

Currently, Great Britain has three main open-access operators:

• Hull Trains: Runs between London King's Cross and Hull.
• Grand Central: Operates between King's Cross and Sunderland, and between King's Cross and Bradford.
• Lumo: Runs between King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley.

There are also other train operators that are not part of the National Rail system. For example:

• Eurostar: Travels to mainland Europe through the Channel Tunnel.
• Heathrow Express: Runs fast services from London to Heathrow Airport.

Some local train services are run by the local train company together with a local transport group. For example, Merseytravel manages the Merseyrail franchise. In London, some services became part of London Overground in 2007, managed by TfL. The Scottish and Welsh governments also award their own train franchises.

The Rail Delivery Group is the main group that helps all the train companies in Great Britain work together. They own the National Rail brand, which uses the old British Rail double-arrow logo, and they organize the common ticketing system. Many train companies are actually part of bigger companies that run several different franchises.

Current Train Operators

Northern Ireland's Railways

The railway system in Northern Ireland is managed differently. The only company that runs trains there is NI Railways. This company is part of Translink, which is a public transport company that also runs buses in Belfast and coaches around the country. NI Railways is not considered a TOC under the same rules as in Great Britain.

The Enterprise train service, which goes between Belfast and Dublin, is run together with Iarnród Éireann, the national railway company of the Republic of Ireland.

How Train Companies Have Changed

When British Rail became private in 1994, its passenger services were split into 25 different train operating units. These units slowly became private companies.

Key Changes Over the Years

The process of giving out franchises to private companies started in 1996/97. Many different companies took over the train services. Some were bought by their own managers, while others were taken over by larger transport companies.

• In 1998, FirstGroup bought out its partners in Great Western Holdings, which ran Great Western Trains and North West Trains. These were renamed First Great Western and First North Western.
• Heathrow Express started its services from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport in 1998.
• In 2000, Arriva and National Express bought several train companies. Hull Trains also started running as the first open-access operator under the National Rail brand.
• In 2001, Govia took over the South Central franchise, renaming it South Central. A new franchise, Wales & Borders, was also created.
• In 2003, Connex lost its South Eastern franchise due to financial problems. A government-owned company, South Eastern Trains, took over temporarily.
• In 2004, a new policy started to have one company operate most services from each major London station. For example, One started running the Greater Anglia franchise, combining several services from Liverpool Street.
• In the North of England, two regional franchises were changed into the TransPennine franchise (for intercity trains) and the Northern franchise (for local services) in 2004.
• In 2006, three new combined franchises started: First Capital Connect (Thameslink/Great Northern), First Great Western (Greater Western), and Southeastern (Integrated Kent).
• In 2007, more services were combined. CrossCountry took over from Virgin CrossCountry, and East Midlands Trains replaced Midland Mainline. London Midland started operating the West Midlands franchise. Also, London Overground Rail Operations took over some London routes, managed by TfL. National Express East Coast took over the InterCity East Coast franchise.
• In 2009, the government took over the National Express East Coast franchise, giving it to a public company called Directly Operated Railways, which operated as East Coast.
• In 2012, Abellio Greater Anglia started running the Greater Anglia franchise.
• In 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway took over services from First Capital Connect.
• In 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast started operating the InterCity East Coast franchise. The ScotRail franchise was split, with Caledonian Sleeper becoming a separate service.
• In 2018, the government took over the Virgin Trains East Coast contract and created London North Eastern Railway. Transport for Wales also took over the Wales & Borders franchise.
• In 2020, the Northern franchise was transferred to the UK government-owned Northern Trains. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government took over the financial risks of train companies, making them almost temporarily government-owned.
• In 2021, the Welsh government-owned Transport for Wales Rail took over the Wales & Borders franchise. The government also took over the South Eastern franchise, creating Southeastern. Lumo started its open-access services on the East Coast Main Line.
• In 2022, ScotRail became owned by the Scottish Government. TfL Rail was rebranded as the Elizabeth line.
• In 2023, the FirstGroup's TransPennine Express contract was not renewed, and the government-owned TransPennine Express took over. The Scottish Government also took over the Caledonian Sleeper service.

Special Train Trips (Railtours)

When British Rail became private, it allowed companies to buy specific time slots on the railway tracks. This led to the growth of companies offering special charter trains and railtours. These are often special trips for fun or sightseeing. Most railtour operators run services in certain parts of the country, but a few operate nationwide. These trains often use older, classic train carriages pulled by a rented engine from a freight company. Sometimes, a preserved old engine that is allowed to run on the main railway lines is used for these special trips.

Train Connections to Ferries

Many railway stations near the coast in the UK connect to ferry services. The ferry companies often plan their schedules to match when trains arrive and depart. Some even offer tickets that cover both train and ferry travel.

For example, on the Isle of Wight, you can buy a ticket from any station in Great Britain that includes the cost of the Wightlink catamaran ferry from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head. You can also buy ferry-inclusive tickets to Cowes or East Cowes on the Isle of Wight using Red Funnel ferries, even though there are no train lines directly to those towns.

International Train Services

There are two main international train services that operate in the United Kingdom:

• Eurostar: Runs between London St Pancras and cities like Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, going through the Channel Tunnel.
• Enterprise: Operates on the Irish railway network between Belfast Lanyon Place and Dublin Connolly.

Another international service is Dutchflyer (called GoLondon in the Netherlands). This isn't a separate train service itself. Instead, it's a partnership between Greater Anglia, Stena Line (a ferry company), and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (the Dutch railway company). They offer a single ticket for a combined train, ferry, and train journey between eastern England (like London Liverpool Street, Cambridge, Norwich) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam Centraal).

There's also the Venice Simplon Orient Express. While it mostly runs special luxury tours in the UK, it also operates the famous Orient Express service to Europe. This involves two separate trains: the Belmond British Pullman from London Victoria to Folkestone West, where passengers take a coach through the Channel Tunnel to Calais. In Calais, they join the Orient Express train, which then travels to cities like Paris, Vienna, Venice, and Rome.

Train Companies in Other Countries

The idea of separating train operating companies from the companies that own and maintain the railway tracks is common in many countries. This is often due to rules from the European Union.

For example, in Germany, train operating companies (called Eisenbahnverkehrsunternehmen or EVU) are defined as companies that provide train services. They are different from Eisenbahninfrastrukturunternehmen (EIU), which own and look after the railway tracks. While many private EVUs run regional services, most of the long-distance trains and almost all the railway tracks are owned by companies related to Deutsche Bahn, Germany's main railway company.

See also

• List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom
• Rail transport in Great Britain
• Rail transport in Ireland
• Rail Delivery Group