From 1 February 2026, all West Midlands Trains (London Northwestern Railways and West Midlands Railways) services have transferred into public ownership under DFTO (DfT Operator Ltd).
Our train services, timetables and station facilities are unaffected by the transfer, with no changes to conditions of travel.
All current tickets for journeys on our railway remain valid.
For any questions relating to your journey, please get in touch with our customer relations team via Customer Relations or by phone: 0333 311 0006.
DFTO is the Government’s rail owning group and delivery partner for its Public Ownership Programme which will help deliver the Government’s commitment to reform Britain’s railways and unite them under Great British Railways.
Frequently asked questions
All passenger train services under contract with the Department for Transport will eventually transfer into public ownership. This is part of the Government’s long-term plan to bring train operators and rail infrastructure together to form Great British Railways.
Tickets and Timetables
Yes. All tickets are still valid for the dates shown on the ticket.
Yes, all valid tickets will continue to be accepted as they would have been before the transfer. We are working with all other train companies and third parties, such as Trainline, to ensure this process is uninterrupted.
Ticket prices are not changing as a direct result of the transfer.
Yes, you can still use your travel vouchers. They will remain valid up to their expiry.
No, season tickets and railcards will continue to be accepted as normal. Their benefits and validity remain unchanged.
There are no changes to the London Northwestern Railway railcard policy.
Yes, there are no changes to the way you buy tickets, and you can continue to do this in the way you normally would, either digitally or from a ticket office.
There are no planned changes to timetables and routes as a direct result of the transfer.
Customer Experience
Customer service contact details via our Customer Relations form and 0333 311 0006 remain the same.
Our social media team is also available 24/7 to provide up to date customer information and advice @LNRailway
The delay repay scheme and other compensation policies remain unchanged.
No, you do not need to rebook. All your travel arrangements will be carried forward and this transfer will not affect your journey.
From 1 February 2026 London Northwestern Railway will be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests.
Details on how to submit a request can be found here.
Public Ownership
Our new owners are DfT Operator (DFTO), the Government’s rail owning group.
Great British Railways is the organisation being established to bring together the railway’s track and train businesses (Network rail and train operating companies respectively) to provide a single guiding mind for the railway.
We will continue investing DfT funds allocated on an annual basis and securing external funding to improve stations across our network.
The brand and the same brand colours will remain when we transfer. There may be future changes to the brand when Great British Railways is created but we don’t have confirmation of that at present.
We continually work with Network Rail and the wider industry to improve performance and will continue doing so under DFTO ownership.