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The UK government has presented the branding for Great British Railways, representing a major move in its plans to bring the railways back into state hands.

An Patriotic Palette and Historic Emblem

The new livery uses a red, white and blue design to represent the Union Flag and will be applied on GBR trains, at stations, and across its website and app.

Significantly, the logo is the iconic double-arrow symbol historically used by the national rail network and originally introduced in the mid-20th century for British Rail.

A Introduction Plan

The introduction of the new look, which was created in-house, is scheduled to happen over time.

Travellers are scheduled to start noticing the newly-branded services on the network from the coming spring.

Throughout December, the visuals will be exhibited at major railway stations, like Leeds City.

A Path to Nationalisation

The legislation, which will pave the way the formation of GBR, is presently moving through the legislative process.

The government has stated it is bringing back into public ownership the railways so the service is "run by the people, delivering for the people, not for private shareholders."

Great British Railways will consolidate the operation of train services and tracks and signals under one umbrella body.

The department has said it will unify 17 separate bodies and "cut through the notorious bureaucracy and accountability gap that continues to plague the railways."

App-Based Features and Existing Ownership

The rollout of Great British Railways will also include a new app, which will allow passengers to check train times and reserve tickets without surcharges.

Accessibility travellers will also be able to use the app to book assistance.

A number of operators had previously been taken into public control under the previous government, such as LNER.

There are currently 7 train operators already in state ownership, covering about a one-third of journeys.

In the last twelve months, Greater Anglia have been brought into public ownership, with further franchises anticipated to follow in the coming years.

Ministerial and Industry Response

"The new design is more than a cosmetic change," stated the relevant minister. It symbolises "a fresh start, shedding the frustrations of the past and concentrated completely on delivering a reliable public service."

Industry representatives have acknowledged the focus to improving services.

"The industry will carry on to collaborate with all stakeholders to support a successful changeover to the new system," a representative said.