The government has so far spent more than £30,000 of public money to rebrand England’s nationalized rail services under the new banner Great British Railways amid increasing scrutiny over value for money.
Great British Railways, the brand under which rail transport in England is brought into public ownership, was officially launched by Heidi Alexander last month. The new identity features a modernized version of the familiar double arrow symbol, last used when Britain’s railways were publicly owned by British Rail.
In addition to the logo, trains and other passenger-facing materials will be given a new red, white and blue livery. Alexander insisted the move “isn’t just a coat of paint” and argued that it signals a reset for a rail system that has frustrated passengers for years.
However, a Freedom of Information request obtained by Sky News shows £32,400 has already been spent on the design process. More than £27,000 of this sum (excluding VAT) went towards audience research and accessibility testing carried out by a specialist agency.
The expenditure also included mockups for a future Great British Railways app and a series of poster designs, although the Department for Transport has not yet started procuring the app itself.
While around half of Britain’s major rail operators are now publicly owned, the first trains with Great British Railways’ new livery are not expected to hit the market until spring.
The transport ministry said the total cost of repainting trains and renaming stations had not yet been determined. Ministers have stressed that the rollout of the new brand identity will be gradual, largely coinciding with routine maintenance schedules, rather than through an immediate and costly overhaul.
The department also declined to provide an estimate of the cost of developing the planned Great British Railways app, which was envisioned as a future “one-stop shop” for rail travelers. Officials said key policy decisions are still pending and that no formal procurement process has yet begun.
The spending drew criticism from campaign groups, including the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which warned that the branding law could be “the tip of a costly iceberg to renationalize rail transport.”
John O’Connell, the group’s chief executive, said the renaming raised questions about priorities as passengers continued to face disruption and high fares. “Spending tens of thousands on logos and focus groups without any clarity on the final cost of repainting trains or building new digital platforms suggests a loose use of taxpayer money,” he said.
Ministers have pushed back against these claims, arguing that the branding work was largely done in-house and that accessibility testing was a legal necessity.
The renaming comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to underline Labour’s commitment to alleviating the cost of living crisis. Frozen rail fares in England have been cited as one of the first ways households are “starting to feel positive change”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “To maximize value for money, the Great British Railways brand has been developed internally and will be rolled out gradually, rather than through an expensive rebrand all at once. As with any new public-facing identity, focus groups – including those with accessibility needs – were vital to ensuring compliance with accessibility laws.”
While the initial costs associated with the rail budget remain modest, the long-term costs of rebranding Britain’s nationalized railways are likely to continue to be closely scrutinized as the Great British Railways program gains momentum.
