Publicly owned train operators support local economies with enhanced summer timetables
From 19 May, several publicly owned train operators have moved onto boosted timetables that deliver more services and seats for passengers. New summer timetables support the economies of UK staycation spots, event and late-night destinations, and the UK’s City of Culture.
LNER has tripled its daily direct connections between Bradford Forster Square and London King’s Cross, increasing the service to seven trains per day in each direction.
The uplift in services is a commitment to the city’s socio-economic development, with the 1.9 million extra seats delivered by the new timetable estimated to add £4 million annually to the local economy.
The extra services were unlocked through collaboration with Network Rail, who delivered the new Platform 0 to increase capacity at Bradford Forster Square station.
Southeastern’s May timetable includes more trains across the summer months for passengers travelling to the seaside hotspots of Margate, Whitstable, Herne Bay and Broadstairs.
Longer trains from London at the weekends, including on the Highspeed services from St Pancras, deliver increased capacity and improved comfort for travel to Hastings and the Kent coast over the summer peaks.
Later departures from Margate support the late-night economy, with Southeastern working in partnership with Dreamland to ensure passengers can enjoy the nightlife and get home after their summer season of outdoor live music events.
Northern has also increased capacity on key lines such as Blackpool to Manchester and Leeds to Doncaster. In April, Northern reached the milestone of 250,000 passenger journeys on the new Northumberland Line and more stations will open on the line this year to connect more communities to the network.
In their December 2024 timetable, TransPennine Express delivered a 12% uplift in the number of seats for passengers, restoring services to their historic levels. Their focus has remained on delivering the promises made in their recovery plan, and delivering consistently stable performance for passengers.
Robin Gisby, DFTO’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The summer timetable uplift shows the commitment of publicly owned train operators to the economic development of communities across Britain.
“New services such as the summer specials demonstrate how smart and innovative train planning, conducted with the needs of the passenger at its heart, can deliver what matters most to the people we serve - getting families to the beach for a weekend trip, or home safely and in good time after a summer concert.”
On 25 May, South Western Railway (SWR) transferred into public ownership and is now managed by DFTO.
The transfer does not impact planned journeys, tickets or timetables and all current tickets remain valid. There were no significant changes to SWR train times in their May 19 timetable update.
Publicly owned operators under DFTO are now responsible for over 25% of the network, with over 6,000 services running each day.
DFTO’s purpose is to help deliver the government’s vision of a railway that works better for passengers and taxpayers by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.