Patriotic makeover for Great British Railways

Announced today — The new Great British Railways has rolled into the station at last. And depending on how you feel about the direction the country has travelled since 2016, you might say its patriotic paint job has Brexit written all over it?

This morning (9 December 2025), the Department for Transport invited passengers to glimpse what it calls the “future of Britain’s railways” as the long-awaited GBR branding is finally unveiled. The reveal isn’t just cosmetic; it lands on the same day Parliament begins debating the sweeping reforms designed to stitch the nation’s fractured railway back together.

And what a sight it is. At first look, GBR is drenched in nostalgia — a deliberate visual echo of the pre-privatisation age, when the dependable double-arrow logo ushered entire generations from city to seaside. Like me, anyone who lived through that era will feel a jolt of recognition. But this time, the symbol has been reimagined in unapologetic red, white and blue. It’s British Rail reborn through a flag-waving lens: louder, prouder, and certain of its identity.

I’ll admit it — I rather like it. There’s steel in its simplicity. A confidence. A sense that, for once, the branding and the purpose are aligned: to draw a divided railway back together and send it forward with a single, unmistakable message. A fresh identity for a fresh start — or, in the optimistic cadence of GBR itself: “We’re getting there!”

The rebrand is only the surface of a much deeper shift. In its latest effort to untangle decades of fragmentation, the DfT confirmed that the government is steadily bringing train operators back into public hands. Seven major operators are already renationalised, quietly carrying a third of all journeys across Great Britain. The direction of travel is clear — one rail network, one owner, one accountable system.

With that mission in mind, a new visual identity is now preparing to sweep across the network. From spring 2026, the GBR logo and livery will begin appearing on trains, stations, websites and apps. Created in-house, the design is unmistakably patriotic — a ribbon of Union-coloured stripes racing down the carriages. The government describes it as a brand “owned by the public, delivering for the public, not for private shareholders.” Whether you cheer or roll your eyes, you can’t deny it’s decisive.

The transformation won’t happen overnight. The rollout will be gradual, with passengers spotting GBR’s first official trains from next spring. Until then, the public can get an early look throughout December at London Bridge, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Leeds City and Manchester Piccadilly — a mini-tour for a brand eager to meet its future customers.

Behind the scenes, the Railways Bill is powering through the House of Commons. Once passed, it will fuse 17 organisations into one umbrella body — Great British Railways — finally stripping out the layers of bureaucracy that have left passengers wondering who, exactly, is responsible when things go wrong.

But the makeover isn’t just about nostalgia and union-coloured locomotives. It’s also about pulling the passenger experience into the 21st century. The new GBR app promises fee-free ticket booking, real-time journey planning, and built-in support for disabled travellers — a small but meaningful step toward a more humane railway.

Regulated fares in England are set to freeze next year, though ministers have been careful not to promise price cuts under renationalisation. Still, they insist the mission holds firm: a railway owned by the people, run for the people, and — perhaps for the first time in a generation — recognisable as one coherent system.

GBR is setting its course. Whether it can arrive on time is another story. But as the new branding proudly proclaims, at the very least — we’re getting there.

Perception.Co™