Great British Railways rebrand costs pass 30,000 as rollout gathers pace

"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."

"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."

Public funds exceeding £30,000 have been used to create the Great British Railways brand for England's nationalised rail services. The brand includes a modernised double-arrow logo and a red, white and blue livery for trains and passenger materials. Design spending of £32,400 covered audience research, accessibility testing, mock-ups for an app, and poster designs. Procurement for the proposed app has not started and its development cost has not been estimated. Around half of major UK rail operators are publicly owned. Livery rollout will be gradual and aligned with routine maintenance, with repainting costs not yet determined.

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