The Labour government in the UK will carry out the first re-nationalisation of a private rail operator.
This was announced by transport minister Heidi Alexander.
Returning all the country's rail operators to public ownership is among the key policies that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has embarked on since his party's re-election five months ago.
Rail travellers in Britain suffer from frequent cancellations of their journeys as well as high ticket prices, AFP reports.
"For too long the British public has had to put up with rail services that simply don't work. The complex system of private rail operators has too often failed its users," the transport secretary said.
Alexander said South Western Railway, offering journeys between London and cities in the south of England, would be the first to transfer to private ownership in May.
This will be followed by two more operators serving English cities by the end of 2025.
Despite the transfer, higher fares are expected for passengers from March, based on an annual Government calculation.
Alexander has held the post for a few days, replacing Louise Haigh, who resigned on 29 October.
This followed revelations that she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence before becoming an MP.
Haigh also oversaw the progress of Britain's new HS2 high-speed rail line, which has been mired in controversy after the previous Conservative government scrapped key sections of the railway due to rising costs.
Four of England's 14 operators are now run by the state due to poor performance in recent years.
The main rail operators in Scotland and Wales, where transport policy is led by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff, are also state-owned.
The government has stated that it will be able to avoid paying compensation charges to rail operators as all current contracts will expire by 2027.
Rail privatisation took place in the mid-1990s under Conservative Prime Minister John Major, but the rail network remained publicly owned, run by Network Rail. | BGNES
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