Northern: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Northern Trains Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Dft Operator Limited. In the year to March 2026 Northern Trains Limited reported turnover of £1,206m.
- In the year to March 2026, Northern had turnover of £1,206m, up 5.9% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £10m, keeping £0.86 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 7,694 people, with staff costs of £483m.
- Northern Trains Limited is controlled by Dft Operator Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from Northern Trains Limited's accounts for the year to March 2026, filed at Companies House on 4 September 2026.
- Registered name
- NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED
- Company number
- 03076444
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 30 June 1995
- Registered office area
- York
- Industry code on the register
- 49100: Land transport and transport via pipelines
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to March 2026, filed 4 September 2026
What does Northern do?
Northern Trains runs local and regional passenger rail services across the north of England, linking cities, towns and rural communities. It earns money from ticket sales, with the rest of its costs covered by government funding under its arrangements with the Department for Transport. It has been publicly owned since 2020, when the government took over the franchise, and operates under the Northern brand.
In brief: train operator · local and regional services · fares and government funding · publicly owned
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: northernrailway.co.uk.
Who owns Northern?
The Companies House register records Dft Operator Limited as the person with significant control of Northern Trains Limited, company number 03076444. Dft Operator Limited is itself company number 07141122.
That places Northern Trains Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Northern?
The Companies House register lists 9 current officers for Northern Trains Limited.
All 9 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Richard Charles Vyvyan Harrison | 1 March 2020 |
| Patricia Anne Williams | 2 December 2020 |
| Anusha Price | 23 January 2024 |
| Alexander Lloyd Hornby | 27 November 2024 |
| Karen Elizabeth Butler | 4 August 2025 |
| David Stuart Lindsay | 4 August 2025 |
| Alexander John Hynes | 7 January 2026 |
| Kate Suzanne Bennett | 19 May 2026 |
| Warrick Dent | 19 May 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Northern file?
Northern Trains Limited reported turnover of £1,206m in the year to March 2026. That was up 5.9% on £1,139m the year before.
It reported 7,694 employees. The year before it reported 7,115.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £10m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £11m the year before.
Staff costs came to £483m. That is an average of £63,000 a head. It ended the year with £59m at the bank and net assets of £41m. It paid dividends of £25m.
| Measure | Mar 2026 | Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £1,206m | £1,139m |
| Pre-tax profit | £10m (filed) | £11m (filed) |
| Employees | 7,694 | 7,115 |
| Staff costs | £483m | £432m |
| Average staff cost per head | £63,000 | £61,000 |
| Bank and cash | £59m | £59m |
| Net assets | £41m | £50m |
| Dividends paid | £25m | |
| Interest paid | £9m | |
| Interest received | £2m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.9m |
Read the accounts to March 2026 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
How Northern compares
Of the 5 train operators, Northern is 3rd on turnover, 4th on profit margin and 2nd on growth. GWR keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £1.92.
| Rank | Train operators | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | GWR | £1,665m | £1.92 |
| 3rd | Northern | £1,206m | £0.86 |
| + 3 more train operators ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Northern files as Northern Trains Limited, whose person with significant control is Dft Operator Limited, with turnover of £1,206m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Northern
What does Northern do?
Northern Trains runs local and regional passenger rail services across the north of England, linking cities, towns and rural communities. It earns money from ticket sales, with the rest of its costs covered by government funding under its arrangements with the Department for Transport. It has been publicly owned since 2020, when the government took over the franchise, and operates under the Northern brand.
How does Northern compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Northern is 3rd of the 5 companies in our battle of the train operators, behind GWR. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the train operators →
Who owns Northern?
The Companies House register records Dft Operator Limited as the person with significant control of Northern Trains Limited.
How much does Northern make?
Northern Trains Limited reported turnover of £1,206m in the year to March 2026. It filed a pre-tax profit of £10m.
How many people work at Northern?
Northern Trains Limited reported 7,694 employees in the year to March 2026.
Who runs Northern?
The Companies House register lists 9 current officers for Northern Trains Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Northern Trains Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 03076444, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Northern: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/northern/. Figures from Companies House filings for NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED (03076444).
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