Eversheds Sutherland advises DfT on Chiltern Railways transfer into public ownership

Eversheds Sutherland advised the Department for Transport (DfT) and DfT Operator Limited (DfTO) on the successful transfer of Chiltern Railways into public ownership. Chiltern Railways entered public ownership on 20 September 2026 at 02:00 BST. The operator provides commuter and regional passenger services from London Marylebone along the M40 corridor, serving Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, and operates long-distance services to the West Midlands. The transfer expands the publicly owned network managed by DfTO, which now operates approximately 12,000 services each day and delivers more than one billion passenger journeys annually across its networks. The transfer is intended to support a programme of investment and service improvements for passengers, including the introduction of new trains, additional services and capacity, station enhancements and other customer-focused upgrades across the Chiltern network. Eversheds Sutherland has previously advised on similar transfers, including Govia Thameslink Railway and Greater Anglia, and says this mandate reinforces its role advising on complex rail transitions and the Government’s Public Ownership Programme. Eversheds Sutherland represented the Department for Transport and DfT Operator Limited with a team composed by: Partner William Spickett (Commercial, lead); Partners Agnes Koko (Head of Transport), Phillip Tunney and Liz Fitzsimons; Legal Director Andrew Bell; Principal Associate Madhulika Kanaujia; Senior Associate Anna Allen; Associates Matthew Owen, Brad Gardiner, Chloe Kunz and Eleanor Gill; and Consultant Lucy Griffiths.

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Eversheds Sutherland advises DfT on Chiltern Railways transfer into public ownership

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Eversheds Sutherland advises DfT on Chiltern Railways transfer into public ownership

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