Publication scheme
Details of the classes of information we publish and how we make that information available.
About DFT Operator Limited
DfT Operator Limited is a company which is wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Transport. It was established to act as the holding company of any Department for Transport train operating company and to provide detailed stewardship of these company’ activities.
Additional information can be found on the DfT Operator Limited website.
Train operating companies
Currently, DfT Operator Limited manages the following train operating companies. Each of these companies operates under DfT Operator Limited’s oversight, with independent websites and publication schemes detailing their services, performance, and commitments to transparency.
1. London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
Following the termination of the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise in June 2018, management of the East Coast mainline was transferred to LNER, a company operated by DfT Operator Limited. LNER is responsible for day-to-day operations and has its own publication scheme.
2. Northern Trains Limited (Northern)
Northern Rail services came under DfT Operator Limited’s management in March 2020 after the previous franchise ended. Northern operates services across the North of England, ensuring essential connectivity in the region.
3. Southeastern (SE Trains Limited)
In October 2021, Southeastern services transitioned to DfT Operator Limited after the Department for Transport decided not to renew the previous franchise agreement. Southeastern operates across South East England, including routes to London, Kent, and East Sussex.
Website addresses
The information you are looking for may be available on the DFT Operator Limited’s website, or the train operating company’s website, or from the following organisations on their websites. However, DfT Operator Limited takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided by those external organisations or made available on their websites.
Publication scheme
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) requires public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme, the purpose of which is to:
- specify the classes of information we have committed to publish
- say how we will make that information available
- say whether the information is available free of charge or on payment
Most of the information covered by our publication scheme will be made available on this website. If you need information in an alternative format, we will do all we reasonably can to help.
Our publication scheme follows the Information Commissioner’s model publication scheme for public authorities.
About this publication scheme
This publication scheme is not a list of individual publications but rather a description of the classes or types of information that we are committed to publishing.
The scheme is not an exhaustive list of all the types of information that we publish.
The scheme does not include information that we consider to be sensitive, such as certain types of commercial or personal information, or information about security matters or which comprises legal advice.
Most of DFT Operator Limited’s publications, including priced publications, are available online. Where publications are not available online, details of how to obtain hardcopies are provided.
Charges which may be made for information published under this scheme
Most of our information can be accessed from this website fre of charge. Charges may be made for actual disbursements incurred such as:
- photocopying
- postage and packaging
- the costs directly incurred as a result of viewing information
There may also be a charge for information provided in response to a request for information:
- if the cost for DfT Operator Limited to respond to a request exceeds £450, it is not required to comply – this cost covers activities such as determining, locating, retrieving, and extracting the requested information, calculated at a rate of £25 per hour
- if the cost is below £450, the organisation will not charge a fee for responding but may request payment for additional expenses such as photocopying, printing, and postage
- where a fee is applicable, DfT Operator Limited will notify you of the amount before the information is provided. Payment may need to be made in advance
Feedback about the scheme
If you would like to provide feedback about this publication scheme or if you require further assistance, please contact us:
DfT Operator Limited
Waterloo General Office, 4th Floor
Waterloo Station
London
England
SE1 8SW
Classes of information
The classes of information currently published are set out below. All this information is available online unless noted otherwise.
Class 1 – Who we are and what we do
Organisational information, locations and contacts, constitutional and legal governance
DfT Operator Limited contacts.
Guide to DfT Operator Limited (formerly DOHL) containing information on:
- ownership
- key facts on DfT Operator Limited
- the vision, values and goals
- directors
Any Legislation relevant to DfT Operator Limited can be accessed from The National Archives.
Class 2 – What we spend and how we spend it
Financial information relating to predicted and annual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement and contracts.
Annual report and accounts available after filing at Companies House
Class 3 – What our priorities are and how we are doing
Strategies and plans, performance information, assessments, inspections and reviews.
Answers provided by the Department for Transport to Parliamentary Questions relevant to DfT Operator Limited are available from the UK Parliament Hansard.
Office of Rail and Road publications.
Class 4 – How we make decisions
Policy proposals and decisions, decision making processes, internal criteria and procedures, consultations.
Public consultations carried out by DfT Operator will be available on the DfT Operator Limited website.
Class 5 – Our policies and procedures
Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities.
DOHL corporate plan 2022 to 2023.
Class 6 – Lists and registers
Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the authority
Company House – DfT Operator Limited company information.
Class 7 – Services we offer
Advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases. A description of the services we offer.
Requests for information not already published
If you cannot find what you want through this scheme, or otherwise on our website, you may wish to make a request to us under FOIA or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR). This can be done by informing us of what information you would like by email or post.
DfT Operator Limited
Waterloo General Office, 4th Floor
Waterloo Station
London
England
SE1 8SW
FOI requests: Requests made under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) must be made in writing.
EIR requests: Requests under the EIRs can also be made orally. You should include the following with any type of request:
- name and an email address or postal address for correspondence
- a clear statement of the information you are requesting
- the format in which you wish to receive your information
It is also requested that you include a contact telephone number in case we need to discuss your request, but it is not mandatory.
You may request any information held by or on behalf of DfT Operator Limited which is recorded in any format. This includes paper records, information held on computers, other electronically held information, plans, maps and photographs.
You are entitled to the information contained in documents, not to the documents themselves. However, where appropriate and convenient we may choose to provide a copy of the document rather than extracting the information from it.
You will be able to ask for assistance if you have difficulty in making an application. We are not required to provide the information you request unless we have a clear and understandable request with enough detail to locate the information and a name and address so we can respond to your request. Some documents may include information which is exempt from disclosure and in those cases, you will only receive information which is not exempt.
In some circumstances, information may only be available to view in person at DfT Operator Limited’s premises. In these cases, contact details will be provided and an appointment to view the information will be arranged within a reasonable timescale. If it is not reasonably possible for an individual to view the information in person, every reasonable effort will be made to find an alternative way of communicating the information.
Environmental information
If your request is wholly or partly for “environmental information” we are required to treat that part of your request as a request under the EIRs.
Environmental Information means any information in written, visual, aural, electronic or other material form on:
(a) the state of the elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites including wetlands, coastal and marine areas, biological diversity and its components, including genetically modified organisms, and the interaction among these elements
(b) factors such as substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste, including radioactive waste, emissions, discharges and other releases into the environment, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment referred to in (a)
(c) measures (including administrative measures), such as policies, legislation, plans, programmes, environmental agreements, and activities affecting or likely to affect the elements and factors referred to in (a) and (b) as well as measures or activities designed to protect those elements
(d) reports on the implementation of environmental legislation
(e) cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used within the framework of the measures and activities referred to in (c)
(f) the state of human health and safety, including the contamination of the food chain, where relevant, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures in as much as they are or may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment referred to in (a) or, through those elements, by any of the matters referred to in (b) and (c)
What we will do when we receive your request
Acknowledging your request
We will acknowledge your request as soon as we can. If your request needs to be handled under the Environmental Information Regulations (2004) instead of, or alongside, the Freedom of Information Act (2000), we will let you know. Additionally, if we need more information from you to locate the requested data, we will ask for clarification.
If DfT Operator Limited does not hold the information
If DfT Operator Limited does not hold the information you requested, we will consider whether it is appropriate to transfer your request to another public authority. If we decide to transfer it, we will follow the guidelines set out in the FOI Code of Practice.
Response time and clarification requests
Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000), DfT Operator Limited must respond to your request promptly, and within 20 working days from the date we receive it, unless there are specific exceptions. If we need clarification on your request, the 20-working-day period will not start until we have received sufficient clarification.
Extending the response time
In certain circumstances, we may need additional time to properly consider your request. If this is the case, we will inform you of the extension and provide the reasons for it.
Information already available
If the information you requested is already accessible under our publication scheme, DfT Operator Limited is not required to provide it again in response to a written request, as it is considered reasonably accessible. In such cases, we will direct you on how you can access this information.
Repeated or vexatious requests
There are circumstances under which DfT Operator Limited is not required to comply with a request. This includes repeated or vexatious requests. If your request is deemed to be harassing, excessively burdensome, or obsessive, it may be refused. Additionally, DfT Operator Limited is not obligated to respond to requests that would be prohibitively expensive to fulfil.
Use of exemptions
The Freedom of Information Act (2000) contains various exemptions that may prevent the release of certain information. Some exemptions require a “public interest test”. If your request is refused based on an exemption, DfT Operator Limited will explain which exemption applies and, where relevant, why we believe withholding the information is in the public interest.
Consulting third parties
If your request involves information about another person, company, or organisation, or if disclosing the information could affect another individual’s interests, we may need to consult with the third party before responding. We will consider their views before deciding how to proceed.
Preferred format and language for receiving information
If you express a preference for receiving the information in a specific format (e.g., a copy, a summary, or an opportunity to inspect the records), we will try to accommodate your request if it is practicable. Additionally, the information will be provided in the language in which it is held. However, if providing the information in your preferred format increases the cost, this may push the total cost above the allowable limit
Reproducing our publications
If you want to re-use or reproduce our publications, you will in most cases need to apply for a licence to the Company Secretary, by email or post.
DfT Operator Limited
Waterloo General Office, 4th Floor
Waterloo Station
London
England
SE1 8SW
How to complain about our response to a request
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive to a request for information, you should contact us by email or post:
DfT Operator Limited
Waterloo General Office, 4th Floor
Waterloo Station
London
England
SE1 8SW
We will arrange for your complaint to be considered and the response to your request to be reviewed. Read our complaints procedure.
Complaints will be dealt with within 20 working days of receipt.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the review, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate).
Online: Information Commissioner’s Office
DfT Operator Limited registered office
Waterloo General Office
4th Floor
Waterloo Station
London
England
SE1 8SW