Common
Train operating company
Companies operating National Rail passenger services in Great Britain
Train operating company
In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking that operates passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993. There are two types of TOC: most hold contracts (previously franchises) let by the Department for Transport (DfT) through a tendering system, to operate services on certain routes for a specified duration, while a small number of open-access operators hold licences to provide supplementary services on chosen routes. These operators can run services for the duration of the licence validity. The franchised operators have changed considerably since privatisation: previous franchises have been divided, merged, re-let to new operators, or renamed. Some privately operated franchises have been taken over by a state-owned operator of last resort, due to failing expectations, or events on the rail system as a whole, or since 2024 the government...
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