Train Operating Company

Businesses operating passenger trains in the United Kingdom are referred to as a Train Operating Company, or TOC. These trains are passenger trains under the system of mainland trains in Great Britain. TOC thus is the collective National Rail brand regulated under the Railways Act of 1993.

You will find two types of train operating companies in the UK. The majority of them hold a government franchise. Companies file bids to operate on certain routes for a specified time span. The second category of operators are those who carry licenses to provide supplementary services on the chosen routes.

Since privatization of the franchises, they have been either divided or merged or let out to new operators, or have been renamed. The Office of Passenger Rail Franchising, or OPRAF, was initially letting these franchises. Subsequently this authority was taken over by the Strategic Rail Authority. Since the abolition of the SRA, franchising has become the domain of the Department for Transport in England and Wales.

Franchise in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive. Exceptions to the general system are Mereseyside and London where the Transport Executive and London Transport oversees the two franchises. However, the commonality for TOCs and centralized coordination is provided by the Association of the Train Operating Companies. The association comes up with a national time table including the facilities for journey planners. They also provide you with various discount schemes. Eurostar is also one of the members of the ATOC though it is not one of the train operating companies on its own.