Charter train operator
West Coast Railways
Carnforth-based charter train company running The Jacobite, The Dalesman and Scarborough Spa Express with its own steam and diesel fleet.
Carnforth, Lancashire
Who runs the trains
Operators
Charter, railtour and luxury operators
Specialist companies that run their own trains over the national network, or promote tours using hired locomotives and stock.
Charter train operator
Steam Dreams Rail Co
Surrey-based steam excursion company, now part of Locomotive Services, known for London departures, Pullman-style dining and Christmas market trains.
Shere, SurreyRailtour promoter
The Railway Touring Company
King's Lynn promoter of steam day trips across Britain and the annual eight-day Great Britain tour, using hired locomotives and stock.
King's Lynn, NorfolkCharter train operator
Vintage Trains
Charity-controlled train operating company at Tyseley, Birmingham, running Great Western steam such as Clun Castle on the Shakespeare Express and beyond.
Tyseley Locomotive Works, BirminghamCharter train operator
Saphos Trains
Crewe-based steam excursion brand of Locomotive Services, running The Fellsman, Welsh Marches Express and Golden Arrow with refurbished Mark 1 stock.
Crewe, CheshireCharter train operator
Locomotive Services Ltd
Jeremy Hosking's Crewe-based operating group behind Saphos Trains, Statesman Rail, Midland Pullman, Intercity and Steam Dreams.
Crewe Diesel Depot, CheshireRailtour promoter
UK Railtours
Hertfordshire promoter of steam, Pullman dining and off-the-beaten-track diesel tours, successor to Hertfordshire Rail Tours.
HertfordshireRailtour promoter
Branch Line Society
Sheffield-based enthusiast society running track-bashing railtours over freight lines, depots and rare curves, usually for charity.
SheffieldLuxury train
Northern Belle
Britain's touring luxury dining train, launched in 2000 by Orient-Express and now owned by the West Coast Railways proprietors.
Carnforth, LancashireLuxury train
Belmond British Pullman
Belmond's 1920s and 30s Pullman carriages offering fine-dining day excursions from London Victoria to Kent, Bath, Oxford and stately homes.
London VictoriaLuxury train
Belmond Royal Scotsman
Scotland's sleeper cruise train: two to seven night journeys from Edinburgh with private cabins, a Dior spa and included excursions.
Edinburgh WaverleyLuxury train
Midland Pullman
Locomotive Services' Nanking Blue HST recreating the 1960s Blue Pullman, running Pullman dining land cruises to the Highlands, Devon and Edinburgh.
Crewe, CheshireLuxury train
Statesman Rail
Cornwall-based promoter of The Statesman land cruise train, offering Pullman dining day and weekend tours from regional stations nationwide.
Hayle, CornwallRailtour promoter
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
Darlington charity that built Peppercorn A1 60163 Tornado in 2008 and promotes its main line tours; now building P2 2007 Prince of Wales.
Darlington Locomotive WorksCharter train operator
Hastings Diesels Ltd
Preservation company operating the narrow-bodied 1957 Hastings DEMU 1001 on a handful of main line railtours each year from Hastings.
St Leonards, East SussexCharter train operator
Intercity
Locomotive Services' value brand offering first-class non-dining tours behind heritage diesel and electric locomotives such as Class 89 Avocet.
Crewe, CheshireRailtour promoter
Fox & Edwards Events
Events company promoting the 2026 main line tours of 60103 Flying Scotsman, operated by Vintage Trains for the National Railway Museum.
EnglandRailtour promoter
125 Group
Charity custodian of a restored InterCity 125 High Speed Train, running occasional railtours in original livery to mark HST anniversaries.
Ruddington, NottinghamshireNational rail operators
The timetabled train companies whose everyday services run over the scenic lines.
National rail operator
Northern
Publicly owned operator of local and regional trains across the North of England, including the Settle–Carlisle, Cumbrian Coast and Esk Valley lines.
York, North Yorkshire
National rail operator
ScotRail
Scotland's national train operator, publicly owned by the Scottish Government, running the West Highland, Kyle, Far North and Borders lines.
Glasgow
National rail operator
Transport for Wales Rail
Welsh Government-owned operator of the Cambrian, Heart of Wales, Conwy Valley, North Wales Coast and Marches lines.
Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf
National rail operator
Great Western Railway
FirstGroup-run operator of the Devon and Cornwall branch lines, the Dawlish sea wall and the Cotswold Line; passing to public ownership on 13 December 2026.
Swindon, Wiltshire
National rail operator
TransPennine Express
Publicly owned inter-city operator linking the North of England with Scotland, including the Hope Valley and Windermere routes and the West Coast to Edinburgh.
Manchester
National rail operator
Greater Anglia
Publicly owned operator of East Anglia's trains, including the Bittern Line to Sheringham and the Wherry Lines to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Norwich, Norfolk
National rail operator
Avanti West Coast
FirstGroup/Trenitalia inter-city operator on the West Coast Main Line, with through trains to the North Wales Coast and the Lakes; nationalisation due 2027.
London and Birmingham
National rail operator
LNER
Publicly owned East Coast Main Line operator from King's Cross to Yorkshire, the North East, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.
York, North Yorkshire
Sleeper train operator
Caledonian Sleeper
Scottish Government-owned overnight train from London Euston to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William.
Inverness
National rail operator
East Midlands Railway
Transport UK operator on the Midland Main Line and regional routes including the Derwent Valley Line and the Hope Valley; public ownership expected late 2026.
Derby
National rail operator
CrossCountry
Arriva-run long-distance operator linking Scotland, the North East, the Midlands and the South West; public ownership expected autumn 2027.
Birmingham