The government has spent more than £30,000 of public money so far on rebranding England’s nationalised rail services under the new Great British Railways banner, amid mounting scrutiny over value for money.
Great British Railways, the brand under which rail services in England will be brought into public ownership, was formally unveiled last month by Heidi Alexander. The new identity features a modernised version of the familiar double-arrow symbol last used when Britain’s railways were publicly owned under British Rail.
Alongside the logo, a new red, white and blue livery is due to be applied to trains and other passenger-facing materials. Alexander insisted the move “isn’t just a paint job”, arguing that it signals a reset for a rail system that has frustrated passengers for years.
However, a Freedom of Information request obtained by Sky News shows that £32,400 has already been spent on the design process. More than £27,000 of that total, excluding VAT, went on audience research and accessibility testing carried out by a specialist agency.
The spending also covered mock-ups for a future Great British Railways app and a set of poster designs, although the Department for Transport has yet to begin procurement for the app itself.
While around half of the UK’s major rail operators are now under public ownership, the first trains to carry the new Great British Railways livery are not expected to appear until the spring.
The Department for Transport said the full cost of repainting trains and rebranding stations has not yet been determined. Ministers have stressed that the new branding will be rolled out gradually, largely coinciding with routine maintenance schedules, rather than through an immediate and costly overhaul.
The department also declined to provide any estimate for the cost of developing the proposed Great British Railways app, which has been billed as a future “one-stop shop” for rail passengers. Officials indicated that key policy decisions remain outstanding and that no formal procurement process has yet begun.
The spending has drawn criticism from campaign groups, including the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which warned that the branding bill could be “the tip of a costly rail renationalisation iceberg”.
John O’Connell, the group’s chief executive, said the rebrand raised questions about priorities at a time when passengers continue to face disruption and high fares. “Spending tens of thousands on logos and focus groups, without clarity on the final cost of repainting trains or building new digital platforms, suggests a casual approach to taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Ministers have pushed back against those claims, arguing that the branding work has largely been done in-house and that accessibility testing was a legal necessity.
The rebrand comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to underline Labour’s commitment to easing the cost-of-living crisis. Frozen rail fares in England have been cited as one of the early ways households will “begin to feel positive change”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “To maximise value for money, the Great British Railways brand was designed in-house and will be rolled out gradually, rather than through an expensive, all-at-once rebrand. As with any new public-facing identity, focus groups – including those with accessibility needs – were essential to ensure compliance with accessibility legislation.”
While the initial costs remain modest in the context of the rail budget, the long-term price tag of rebranding Britain’s nationalised railways is likely to remain under close scrutiny as the Great British Railways programme gathers momentum.
