British government reveals GBR branding
posted on 12th Dec 2025 14:50
The Department for Transport revealed its offered branding for Great British Railways (GBR) when landmark legislation to reform the railway is debated in Parliament. In a statement, DfT added that the Government was bringing train operators back into public ownership to “reform a fragmented system”. Seven major train operators are already in public ownership, covering a third of all passenger journeys in Great Britain.
DfT revealed that the logo and train livery for GBR would be rolled out from spring 2026, appearing on trains and websites and at stations. It said this would bring the railway together “under one brand owned by the public, delivering for the public, not for private shareholders.” The “striking and memorable” design features a red, white and blue colour scheme and sharp angles, mirroring the Union Flag. The Government has also revealed the GBR logo, which features a double arrow symbol in a nod to Britain’s proud railway heritage.
This branding has been unveiled as the landmark Railways Bill was debated in the House of Commons on 9 December 2025, following the Government’s decision to freeze rail fares for the first time in three decades. The Bill will create GBR, which DfT said would bring together 17 different organisations, reducing “frustrating bureaucracy”, supporting accountability, and running Britain’s railways as a single organisation for the first time in decades.
It added that across publicly owned operators, “significant progress” had already been made. South Western Railway has quadrupled the number of its new Arterio trains, increasing passenger capacity by nearly 10 %. A new East Coast Mainline timetable is being introduced this month to add 10,000 extra LNER services annually, meaning 60,000 more seats a week, and Southeastern Railway has invested 2 million GBP in video and camera technology to help identify potential faults on the rail network so they can be fixed quickly.
GBR is set to maintain and improve the railways, accountable to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers. DfT said fares and ticketing would be modernised (including with a new app), a “strengthened” Passenger Watchdog would investigate poor service and demand improvement, and GBR would be empowered to build a railway that “supports the Government’s missions to drive economic growth and opportunity by unlocking jobs and housing.”
The new branding will also feature on the GBR ticketing app, which DfT described as a one-stop shop for passengers to check train times and buy tickets at the best prices across the rail network without any booking fees. It added that disabled passengers would be able to use the app to book Passenger Assist when buying tickets.
The brand was on display at London Bridge station on 9 December, with a special one-day exhibit including a GBR branded Hornby model train, plus a demo of a GBR branded train in the Train Sim World 6 game. The new design will also appear on posters and digital displays at London Bridge, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Leeds City, and Manchester Piccadilly stations this week. It will then be used by a number of publicly owned train operators from next spring. DfT said most of the rollout would be gradual – revealing that brand had been designed in-house to maximise value for money.
Alex Robertson, Chief Executive of the independent watchdog, Transport Focus: “Today’s second reading of the Railways Bill, alongside a preview of the logo and ticketing app, marks another step on the journey towards a railway built around passengers. As well as what is written into law, the success of Great British Railways will depend on its people and culture, and today gives us a glimpse into what that could look and feel like.”
Rail Freight Group (RFG) has called on parliamentarians to support rail freight as the Railways Bill 2025 has its historic second reading in the House of Commons. In a statement the organisation has said the Railways Bill 2025 contains some important and welcome provisions for rail freight, but also raises concerns, particularly around the future plans for allocating track capacity. RFG has issued a briefing note to all parliamentarians outlining its key concerns, which include:
- The demise of the rail regulator as the body which has grown the railway through incentivising performance, granting new routes, fostering competition and delivering rail growth.
- Allowing Great British Railways, rather than the regulator, to set rules on track access and charging, determine initial appeals and mark its own work to potentially favour the 75 % of operators within its stable over the other 25 % public and private sector operators.
- Confusion over which of GBR or Government will be the guiding mind with new sweeping powers for the Secretary of State to direct, or give guidance to GBR.
Powers for Government to intervene over the management and operation of infrastructure and facilities which are not owned by the Government or GBR.
RFG Director General, Maggie Simpson OBE, said: “The success of Great British Railways will depend not on the colour of its logo but on how it supports customers, and enables more goods to move by rail. By making some small changes to the Railways Bill, parliamentarians can help us ensure that the future of our railways works effectively for all users.”
