GovWire

Rail passenger contracts

Rail passenger contracts are legally binding contracts between the Secretary of State for Transport and train operating companies.

The rail contracts published on the public register may not be the most current documents held by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Rail contracts and ancillary legal agreements

• Abellio East Anglia Limited 2021 rail contract
• Abellio East Midlands Limited 2022 rail contract
• Chiltern Railway Company Limited 2021 rail contract
• First Greater Western 2022 rail contract
• First MTR South Western Trains Limited 2021 rail contract
• First TransPennine Express Limited 2021 rail contract
• London North Eastern Railway 2020 OLR rail services contract
• Northern Railway 2022 OLR rail services contract
• South Eastern Railways 2021 OLR rail services contract
• Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern 2022 rail contract
• Trenitalia c2c Limited 2021 rail contract
• West Coast Partnership 2019 rail contract
• West Midlands Trains Limited 2021 rail contract
• XC Trains Limited 2020 rail contract

Rail passenger contract publication scheme

This publication scheme specifies the categories of rail contract information published and explains how to get that information. It expands on the DfT publication scheme.

Rail contracts are published as required by Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Classes of information we do not publish

Rail contracts are redacted to remove commercial, personal and security information.

We do not publish:

• information legally protected from disclosure
• information exempt under the Freedom of Information Act
• draft information
• information that is no longer readily available
• National Rail Contract Business Plans the majority will be published on passenger rail train operator websites in a summary format

Classes of information we publish

We publish:

• National Rail Contracts updates published annually
• National Rail Contract Business Plan Commitments (BPCs) updates published annually
• Train Service Requirement (TSR) updates published annually
• Rail Services Contracts updates published annually
• Contravention Notices or Breach Notices published on an ad hoc basis subject to legal advice

Publishing schedule

National Rail Contracts

Published annually. Includes significant updates to the rail contract, BPCs and TSR. Applies to:

• East Anglia Railway
• Essex Thameside Railway
• South Western Railway
• TransPennine Express Railway
• West Midlands Railway
• East Midlands Railway
• Chiltern Railway
• Great Western Railway
• TSGN Railway

Services Contracts (Public Sector Train Operators)

Published annually. Includes significant updates to the rail contract and TSR. Applies to:

• London North Eastern Railway
• Northern Railway
• South Eastern Railway

Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements

Published annually. Includes significant updates to the rail contract and TSR. Applies to:

• Cross Country Railway
• West Coast Partnership Railway

How to request information about rail passenger contracts

You can make a Freedom of Information request for rail contract information.

Read how to make an FOI request.

Other rail passenger contracts and regulatory documents

• DFT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL) publication scheme
• London North Eastern Railway (LNER) publication scheme (PDF, 58.6KB)*
• South Eastern Railways publication scheme
• Office of Rail and Road (ORR) public register
• Transport Scotlands projects, strategies and franchises for rail travel
• Transport for Wales
• Wales and Borders rail franchise 2018: devolution agreements
• High Speed 1 (HS1) regulatory documents
• Enforcement policy: rail franchise agreements and closures
• Rail procurement
• Rail franchise procurement
• DfTpayments to passenger rail operators under emergency agreements

Contact us

You can write to us at:

Alternatively, email rail.publicregister@dft.gov.uk.