DfT Operator Limited (DFTO), formerly DfT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL), is a holding company established by the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom to act as operator of last resort for rail franchises in England that are nationalised.[2]
 | |
| Company type | Holding company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Headquarters | , England |
Area served | England |
Key people |
|
| Services | Train operating company management |
| Revenue | £3.5 billion[1] (2024) |
| £29.4 million[1] (2024) | |
Number of employees | 16,700[1] (2024) |
| Parent | Department for Transport |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www |
History
DfT OLR Holdings was established in 2018 by the Department for Transport to operate rail franchises should it become necessary to bring them into public ownership and operate as an operator of last resort in accordance with section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.[3] By May 2023, the company had four active subsidiaries: London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern and TransPennine Express; and had superseded FirstGroup as the largest operator of passenger services in the United Kingdom, generating 23% of passenger revenue and 26% of passenger miles.[4]
In the year ending March 2024, DfT OLR Holdings had 16,700 employees and revenue of £3.5 billion with an operating profit of £29.4 million.[1]
In December 2024, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the company's name was changing to DfT Operator Limited. This coincided with the announcement that three more passenger train services were to be brought into public ownership in 2025:[5]
- South Western Railway - 25 May 2025
- c2c - 20 July 2025
- Greater Anglia - "autumn 2025"
Subsidiaries
DFT Operator has a number of active and dormant subsidiaries.
London North Eastern Railway
On 24 June 2018, London North Eastern Railway took over the InterCity East Coast franchise from Virgin Trains East Coast after the latter ran into financial difficulty.[6][7]
Train Fleet
Train Fleet (2019) Limited was established in August 2019 to take ownership of 40 Class 365 units from Eversholt Rail Group. This arose from a complex financial arrangement, struck during the privatisation of British Rail by the British Railways Board when the trains were financed by financial institutions, that gave Eversholt the option to pass on their lease liabilities back to the government.[8][9] In July 2021, all were sold back to Eversholt after termination of their leases with Govia Thameslink Railway was agreed.[10]
Northern Trains
On 1 March 2020, Northern Trains took over the Northern franchise from Arriva Rail North after the latter became financially unviable.[11][12]
Southeastern
On 17 October 2021, Southeastern took over the South Eastern franchise from Govia after financial irregularities were uncovered.[13][14]
TransPennine Express
On 28 May 2023, TransPennine Express took over the operation of Transpennine services after FirstGroup's TransPennine Express contract was not renewed after repeated customer complaints of poor service and cancelled trains, as well as having the highest rate of cancellations of any train operating company in January and February 2023 with about a quarter of services being cancelled.[15][16]
See also
References
External links
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