The UK government has taken the c2c rail service back into public ownership as it continues to renationalise the sector.

The rail operator, which runs services between London and Essex, was officially renationalised on Sunday (20 July) as part of the government¡¯s plan to create Great British Railways, which will eventually have responsibility for the entire sector.

C2c, which had previously been run by Italian rail operator Trenitalia, is the second UK rail operator to be brought under public ownership this year after South Western Railway was renationalised in May, with Greater Anglia set to follow on 12 October.

The government is due to introduce a Railways Bill to the UK parliament later this year to formally establish Great British Railways.

In the interim period, the renationalised rail operators are being run by the?Department for Transport Operator (DFTO), which already manages the Northern, TransPennine Express, Southeastern and LNER services. The DFTO already runs 28 per cent of all UK rail services.

¡°Two-thirds of Britons have already expressed their support for public ownership, which will save the taxpayer up to ?150 million a year in fees alone and ensure every penny can be spent for the benefit of passengers,¡± said the Department for Transport in a statement.