Major rail operator confirmed to become nationalised later this year

It will be brought under public ownership on October 12.

Greater Anglia confirmed that it will be brought under public ownership on October 12.

The company runs trains across the East of England and into London, and they have assured customers that train services, timetables and station facilities would be unaffected by the transition, and employees' roles would all transfer across.

The announcement of the move to public ownership was made back in December.

According to the government, the nationalisation of rail services would bring savings of up to £150m and would hopefully curb delays and cancellations.

Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: "Bringing services into public ownership will enable us to join up track and train and deliver the best value for taxpayers in the longer term.

"We're working closely with operators to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for passengers."

Greater Anglia runs trains throughout Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, including the Stansted Express airport service.

Shadow rail minister and Conservative Norfolk MP Jerome Mayhew shared his fears that nationalisation would end up costing the taxpayer more money.

He said: "Greater Anglia is the best-performing rail company in the country when it comes to customer satisfaction and reliability. The government is risking this successful operation for ideological reasons."