Railways will be brought back under public ownership in new law announced today

Railways will be brought back under public ownership, the government has confirmed.

New legislation will see rail services renationalised once their contracts expire or if operators fail to deliver on their commitments. It will be one of the first new laws to be introduced by the Labour government and will be unveiled in the King's Speech today (July 17).

As per tradition, King Charles will announce the new government's legislative agenda at the State Opening of Parliament, which starts at 11am. The government has said that more than 35 bills and draft bills are expected to be unveiled by the monarch in his speech.

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This includes renationalising rail services, speeding up the planning process and transferring more powers out to local leaders. The government has now confirmed that new legislation will be introduced to create a 'simplified' rail system by renationalising services.

Rail services which are currently run by private companies will be brought under public ownership once their contracts expire or if operators fail to deliver on their commitments. The government says that the move will save the taxpayer millions of pounds a year.

The government will also introduce legislation to establish Great British Railways, a public body which will be focused on improving services and creating better value for money for passengers. Once established, the organisation will be tasked with ensuring ticketing innovations like automatic compensation, digital pay-as-you-go and digital season ticketing are rolled out across the whole network.

The King’s Speech is also set to feature a Better Buses Bill, according to the government, allowing local leaders to