Highlights
- Great British Railways to introduce patriotic red, white and blue livery across network.
- Design Museum founder criticises colour scheme as "atrocious" and "mad dog's breakfast".
- Rail historian praises design as "bloody fabulous" and elegant representation of speed.
The British government has announced a striking new red, white and blue livery for renationalised trains, drawing inspiration from the Union flag as part of a major rebranding exercise for Great British Railways.
State-owned company Great British Railways (GBR) will unveil its branding on Tuesday, with the new colour scheme set to appear on trains, websites and stations from spring 2025.
The move marks a significant departure from the iconic "Rail Blue" livery that characterised publicly owned British Rail from the mid-1960s to the 1980s.
Reactions and rationale
The announcement has sparked divided opinions among design experts and railway historians. Stephen Bayley, founder of the Design Museum, delivered a scathing critique of the new scheme, calling it "atrocious" and "a mad dog's breakfast."
"A livery is branding and branding is all about associations and expectations," Bayley told The Telegraph.
It projects the values of the sponsoring organisation: artless, careless, clumsy, unintelligent and uncoordinated, he added.
He questioned why British designers were not commissioned for the project, comparing the result unfavourably to Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains.
However, rail historian and author Christian Wolmar offered a contrasting view, describing the livery as "impressive" and praising its modern aesthetic. Wolmar noted " The design is bloody fabulous". I think it conveys an impression of speed. It's elegant, he added.
The Department for Transport defended the design, saying it was developed in-house to maximise value for money while creating a "striking and memorable" identity.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander emphasised the symbolism behind the rebrand. "This isn't just a paint job, it represents a new railway, casting off the frustrations of the past and focused entirely on delivering a proper public service for passengers," she said.
The seven major train operators already nationalised have retained their previous branding. The government has accelerated the timeline for existing companies to rebrand as Great British Railways, moving the completion date from 2027 to next year.
