PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2022-06-23 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • Which train operating companies are run by other countries’ governments? (en)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • A list shows 17 train operating companies in the UK that are owned in full or part by the French, German, Dutch, Italian or Hong Kong states. The list is out of date, as ScotRail, Northern and Transport for Wales rail have since been nationalised and are now run by the Scottish, UK and Welsh governments respectively. An image spreading on Facebook claims to show which train operating companies are owned in full or part by foreign states. Most of the claims about which companies are owned by states from abroad are correct. (We haven’t checked all the claims about dates or how many stations the companies cover.) However, the list is out of date, as three of the companies it lists have recently been nationalised and are now owned by the Scottish, UK and Welsh governments respectively: Stay informed Be first in line for the facts – get our free weekly email Subscribe The image shows a mocked-up rail departure board listing when rail companies moved to foreign ownership. It appears to date back to at least September 2019, which would explain why it doesn’t include the updates in ownership since 2020. The firms listed in the image are mainly train operating companies (TOCs), which run passenger rail services, and usually lease the trains and most stations from rolling stock companies and network operators. Most passenger services are run by privately owned TOCs under franchise deals with companies like Arriva and Abellio, as a result of contracts awarded by the Department for Transport. However, franchising is set to be replaced with a new system where the revenue from fares goes to the public sector and private operators are paid a fee to run services. The list on Facebook does not include all train operating companies in the UK. Image courtesy of Ross Sneddon This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as missing context because the list is out of date as three operators have since been nationalised. (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url