Train Operating Companies in the UK

Most of the metropolitan railway networks in the United Kingdom are run by holders of local franchises. They however do not run the network all alone. Rather they run these networks in collaboration with the Passenger Transport Executive in the UK or such other civic bodies. These civic bodies are responsible for administrating the public transport systems in the country. Train operating companies in the UK are therefore heavily dependent on these civic bodies.

All the train operating companies in the UK are not regulated by the central government. There are three national franchises that were not awarded by the government. The Merseyrail franchise is governed by the Passenger Transport Executive of Merseyside. Similarly, the rail services in the North London areas came under the control of the Transport for London in November, 2007. There are also two other such franchises which are operated by the First ScotRail and Arriva Trains Wales.

For such a vast network, there has to be a coordinating body. The Association of the Train Operating Companies, or ATOC, takes care of the coordination part as well as the various complaints lodged by the customers. It is the owner of the National Rail brand using the double-arrow logo of the former British Rail. It also organizes the common ticketing structure of the railway network. You might think on first glance that the UK railways are operated by a large number of train operating companies. The truth however is that most of these companies are part of some larger company and there are only few large companies operating in the circuit. You should keep this in mind while lodging any complaint. Any complaints you do have may need to be saved or logged, and a custom usb memory stick is a great way to store emails and drafts of letters.