2025 Charter Trains Outlook

Has it really been 5 years since charter trains were stopped dead in their tracks by the pandemic? Having witnessed the near overnight destruction of a vibrant niche within the rail industry, it is amazing that just a few years on, the charter train market is once again buoyant. It should also be recognized that during this recovery period, the owners of heritage charter trains have had to comply with new operational regulations that have seen the need for the central locking of carriage doors and the installation of internal discharge tanks for the toilets. None of this has come cheap, so credit to the train owners and operators who have funded these improvements to comply with the latest operational standards. Steam locomotive operators have also had to contend with the problem of sourcing new supplies of coal, which is often now imported to the UK from as far away as Brazil. Please make that make sense when we still have some remaining right here in the UK.

There will be some significant changes in 2025, not least a dive once again into the unknown as the UK government brings more of the franchised rail operators back under direct government ownership. This gives me mixed feelings, despite being against privatization when it happened back in the 1990s. Despite wrecking an industry that was just starting to find its feet under the BR sectorization plan, the influx of private owners to run trains at least opened up a desire to run trains more commercially than before. This included making trains available for hire, or chartering, as we say in the business. With many train operators now just fulfilling management contracts to deliver a pre-specified public service, many are reluctant to even consider the charter train market. This is sad, as it limits options and also deprives the rail industry of much-needed additional income. However, on a brighter note, it is heartening to see new trains and operators entering the UK rail market, many of which will be available through Train Groups and Charters for hire. These include InterCity 125 trains, some mainline carriages formed into new carriage sets, and even a couple of ex-Southern Region units which could make a comeback and be part of our portfolio. All very exciting and something that will give our customers even more choice in the future.