A rail union has celebrated the transfer of South Western Railway (SWR) into public ownership, hailing it as a "landmark moment" for railways.

South Western Railway transferred into public ownership yesterday and is the first to do so as part of the Passenger Railways Service (Public Ownership) Act 2024.

The Act, which was passed in November, will eventually bring all 14 national operators under public control when existing contracts expire.

READ MORE: South Western Railway to be nationalised this weekend

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), a trade union for workers in the transport and travel industries, said that the government has taken "the right decision" on ownership.

TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “The transfer of SWR into public hands is a landmark moment which heralds in practical terms the beginning of the end to three decades of failed privatisation across the railways.  

“The Labour government has taken the right decision and the necessary steps to bring our railways back in house, ending a broken system dreamt up by Conservative governments which cared only about profit, not the best ways and means of running our precious rail network."