# UK rail strategy will assess buying trains against leasing

> Great British Railways will assess public ownership, leasing or other financing for new trains based on value for passengers and taxpayers.

- Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026
- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Government
- Country: United Kingdom
- Published: 2026-10-06T08:59:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-07T00:52:17+03:00
- Event / data period: 2026-09-28
- Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026.md)

On 28 September, the Department for Transport published a new strategy for procuring trains. Great British Railways will assess each future purchase to determine whether direct public ownership, leasing or another financing arrangement offers the best value for passengers and taxpayers.

The policy ends leasing as the automatic choice for new trains, while existing contracts remain in place. The government said train leasing and maintenance cost passengers and taxpayers more than £4 billion a year, and the rail regulator reported that rolling-stock companies received more than £2.5 billion in dividends over the previous 10 years.

## Data

### UK rail strategy will assess buying trains against leasing

Great British Railways will assess public ownership, leasing or other financing for new trains based on value for passengers and taxpayers.

Methodology: Costs and procurement approach are based on the Department for Transport release of 28 September 2026.

| date | label | description | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-28 | UK rail strategy will assess buying trains against leasing | Great British Railways will assess public ownership, leasing or other financing for new trains based on value for passengers and taxpayers. | occurred |

Sources: <https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-explores-buying-trains-over-leasing-in-new-rail-strategy> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026/data/official-policy-action?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/uk-rail-strategy-public-ownership-train-procurement-2026/data/official-policy-action?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [Department for Transport](<https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-explores-buying-trains-over-leasing-in-new-rail-strategy>) (Source checked: 2026-10-06; Published: 2026-09-28)

## Correction history

- 2026-10-07T00:52:17+03:00: German and Portuguese editions and translations of the data and correction explanations have been added to this article.

---

Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)