West Midlands Railways has issued a data protection notice as it ramps up the transition into public ownership

The train operator which operates London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway has issued a notice regarding an update to its data policy to customers as part of what it has called a “planned transition into public ownership” which is set to take place from tomorrow (Sunday Feb 1).

Reasons for data collection remain unchanged

In a statement, the operator said the reasons for collecting the data will remain unchanged and that the plan will merely move personal data to the new entity. It said all data would continue to be handled by the same systems, by the same teams and used for the same purposes, with the change being a merely legal matter.

Part of the government’s plans to bring all of Britain’s railways into public ownership

Under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, services across the country are moving to a new publicly owned operator, Great British Railways.

Some operators have already transferred including South Western Railway and Greater Anglia. By mid 2026, around 80% of operators are expected to be transferred to a publicly owned operator as existing contracts expire.

Not without criticism

Although many within the Labour Party and on the left have welcomed the move, critics have argue it will reduce managerial accountability and move financial risk onto taxpayers. 

With existing operators such as Great Western Railway and Govia Thameslink both making a loss, critics say the government is making a wrong move in nationalising unprofitable rail operators, where the taxpayer will be undoubtedly left to foot the bill.

Further concerns surrounding reliability have emerged, too, with many of the services that have already been nationalised reportedly experiencing slumps in passenger experience. 

Whether this is coincidence or symptomatic of a wider issue with the setup is yet to be truly understood. Only time will tell.