Govia Thameslink Railway

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This article is about the current train operating company. For other uses of the name, see Thameslink (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Thames Trains.

Govia Thameslink Railway
GoviaThameslinkRailway.png
700019 Shepreth Branch Junc 210619.jpg
A Thameslink Class 700 at Shepreth Branch Junction, south of Cambridge in 2019
Overview
Franchise(s)Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern
14 Sep 2014 – 31 March 2022[1]
Main region(s)South East England, Greater London, East Anglia
Stations operated238
Parent companyGovia
(Go-Ahead Group 65%, Keolis 35%)
Reporting markGN, GX, SN, TL
Other
Websitewww.govia.info

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is a train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise in England. Within the franchise, GTR runs the Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express airport services.[2]

GTR is a subsidiary of Govia, which is itself a joint venture between the British Go-Ahead Group (65%) and French company Keolis (35%).

History[]

Thameslink and Great Northern services were merged into one franchise in 2006 due to the upcoming Thameslink Programme. In 2012, it was announced that services of First Capital Connect, Southern (with Gatwick Express) and some Southeastern routes would be merged into a single Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise (TSGN).[3] The Invitation to Tender was to have been issued in October 2012, with the successful bidder announced in Spring 2013 and TSGN originally due to start in September 2013. However, due to the collapse of the InterCity West Coast re-franchising process, all franchising competitions were frozen until January 2013.[4] In January 2013 the government announced that it would extend the contract until March 2014, intending to negotiate with FirstGroup to operate the franchise on a management contract for up to two years.[5]

In March 2013 the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the franchise would again be extended, until 13 September 2014, and that the future franchise would be a management-style contract due to the level of investment and change on the route.[6] In September 2013 a revised invitation to tender was issued.[7] Govia Thameslink Railway was awarded the franchise on 23 May 2014.[8][9]

On 14 September 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway took over services from First Capital Connect, serving 122 stations and operating a fleet of 226 trains. In December 2014, full control was taken of the Sevenoaks Thameslink service (this service was previously jointly operated with Southeastern). The separate Thameslink and Great Northern were maintained upon the GTR takeover. Southern and Gatwick Express became part of GTR in July 2015, making it the largest rail franchise in terms of passengers, staff and fleet in the UK.[10][11]

The franchise has an unusual structure: it is a management contract where fare income does not go to GTR. Under their original contract, Department for Transport will pay GTR £8.9 billion over the first seven years and receive all revenue.[2] Consequently, the company carries less revenue risk. This form of franchise was chosen because of long-term engineering works anticipated around London, which would be a significant challenge to organise within the normal form of franchise.[12][13]

In June 2016, amongst criticism of the performance of its services, Go-Ahead warned of lower than anticipated profits on the franchises, leading to 18% drop in the Go-Ahead share price. Passengers had previously rated its Thameslink service as the worst in the country. Only 20% of Southern trains arrived on time in the year from April 2015 to March 2016, and there was an ongoing industrial dispute over driver-only operated trains.[14][15][16] On 12 July 2016, after 15% of Southern services were cancelled for a period of weeks to improve service reliability, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for GTR to be stripped of the franchise.[17] On 15 July 2016, Rail Minister Claire Perry resigned.[18]

Thameslink and Great Northern services[]

A map of off-peak Thameslink services as of May 2020 (including the future extension to Maidstone East)
Main articles: Thameslink and Great Northern Route

Govia Thameslink Railway has operated Thameslink and Great Northern services since 14 September 2014. Thameslink is a 68-station main-line route running 225 km (140 mi) north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport, with a suburban loop serving Sutton, Mitcham and Wimbledon and on weekdays a suburban line via Catford and Bromley South to Sevenoaks. Great Northern is the name of the suburban rail services run on the southern end of Britain's East Coast Main Line and associated branches. Services operate to or from London King's Cross and London Moorgate. Destinations include Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn.

In May 2018, the company introduced a new timetable which included the first regular services through the Canal Tunnels and to other new destinations previously not served by Thameslink. However, due to frequent disruption of services on the whole network, Govia decided to create a new interim timetable with a reduced number of trains; this came into operation in July 2018.[19]

Thameslink service pattern[]

The published Thameslink off-peak service pattern as of May 2020, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes:[20]

London Bridge routes
Route tph Calling at Stock
Cambridge to Brighton 2 700
Cambridge to London King's Cross 2
Peterborough to Horsham via Redhill 2
  • Huntingdon, St Neots, Sandy, Biggleswade, Arlesey, Hitchin, Stevenage, Finsbury Park, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, East Croydon, Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill, Horley, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Crawley, Ifield, Faygate (limited), Littlehaven
Bedford to Brighton 2
Bedford to Gatwick Airport via Redhill 2
  • Flitwick, Harlington, Leagrave, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, Harpenden, St Albans City, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, Norwood Junction, East Croydon, Purley, Redhill, Earlswood, Salfords, Horley
Luton to Rainham via Greenwich 2
  • Luton Airport Parkway, Harpenden, St Albans City, Radlett, Elstree & Borehamwood, Mill Hill Broadway, West Hampstead Thameslink, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, Deptford, Greenwich, Maze Hill, Westcombe Park, Charlton, Woolwich Arsenal, Plumstead, Abbey Wood, Slade Green, Dartford, Stone Crossing, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, Northfleet, Gravesend, Higham, Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham
Elephant & Castle routes
Route tph Calling at Stock
St Albans City to Sutton via Wimbledon (loop) 2
  • Radlett, Elstree & Borehamwood, Mill Hill Broadway, Hendon, Cricklewood, West Hampstead Thameslink, Kentish Town, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill, Streatham, Tooting, Haydons Road, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Chase, South Merton, Morden South, St Helier, Sutton Common, West Sutton, Sutton
  • Services then continue to/from St Albans City via Carshalton (see below)
 700
St Albans City to Sutton via Carshalton (loop) 2
  • Radlett, Elstree & Borehamwood, Mill Hill Broadway, Hendon, Cricklewood, West Hampstead Thameslink, Kentish Town, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill, Streatham, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Hackbridge, Carshalton, Sutton
  • Services then continue to/from St Albans City via Wimbledon (see above).
Kentish Town to Orpington via Catford (weekdays only) 2
  • London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye, Nunhead, Crofton Park, Catford, Bellingham, Beckenham Hill, Ravensbourne, Shortlands, Bromley South, Bickley, Petts Wood
London Blackfriars to Sevenoaks via Catford and Otford 2
  • Elephant & Castle, Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye, Nunhead, Crofton Park, Catford, Bellingham, Beckenham Hill, Ravensbourne, Shortlands, Bromley South, Bickley, St Mary Cray, Swanley, Eynsford, Shoreham, Otford, Bat & Ball

During peak hours, additional services run, including to East Grinstead[21] and Littlehampton.[22]

Great Northern service pattern[]

A map of the off-peak services provided by Great Northern

Since the introduction of regular services through the Canal Tunnels in May 2018, many GTR services on the East Coast Main Line were rebranded from Great Northern to Thameslink. Most of these services are now extended through central London and incorporated into the Thameslink network (as per above), although as of October 2019 some services are yet to be extended. The only services to retain the Great Northern brand (which will not become part of Thameslink) are those on the Northern City line and the express services to/from Cambridge, Ely and King's Lynn, as well as Peterborough at peak times.[23]

The Great Northern off-peak service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), consists of the following:[24]

Cambridge express & Fen line
Route tph Calling at Stock
London King's Cross to Ely 1 Cambridge, Cambridge North 387
London King's Cross to King's Lynn 1 Cambridge, Cambridge North, Waterbeach, Ely, Littleport, Downham Market, Watlington
Northern City line
Route tph Calling at Stock
Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City 4
  • Harringay, Hornsey, Brookmans Park and Welham Green are served by the same trains
 717
Moorgate to Hertford North 2
Moorgate to Stevenage 2
  • Old Street, Essex Road, Highbury & Islington, Drayton Park, Finsbury Park, Harringay, Hornsey, Alexandra Palace, Bowes Park, Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, Grange Park, Enfield Chase, Gordon Hill, Cuffley, Hertford North, Watton-at-Stone

Southern and Gatwick Express services[]

Southern Class 377 at Watford Junction
Main articles: Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway) and Gatwick Express

The Southern and Gatwick Express brands joined Govia Thameslink Railway on 26 July 2015. Southern routes run from London Victoria and London Bridge through the South London suburbs of Battersea, Norbury, Peckham, Sydenham, Crystal Palace, Norwood, Croydon, Streatham, Purley and Sutton to towns surrounding London including Caterham, Epsom and Tadworth. Further afield, Southern also serve Redhill, Tonbridge, Uckfield, East Grinstead, Gatwick Airport, Brighton, Ashford (Kent), Worthing, Hastings, Portsmouth, Eastbourne, Horsham, Southampton, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. Additionally, Southern run West London route services from Milton Keynes to South Croydon via Watford and Clapham Junction. Since 2008, Southern has operated the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport and Brighton.

Gatwick Express[]

Gatwick Express services have been suspended from 30 March 2020 until further notice.[25] The Gatwick Express airport rail link from central London is to resume before Christmas after 21 months out of service during the pandemic.[26]

Southern[]

Details of each route, including maps and timetables, are on Southern's website (see External links below). As of May 2020, the off-peak Monday-Saturday service pattern, with frequencies in 'trains per hour' (tph), consists of:[27]

Brighton Mainline
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Victoria – Littlehampton 2 377
London Victoria – Eastbourne 1
  • Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Cooksbridge, Lewes, Polegate, Hampden Park
 377
London Victoria – Ore 1
  • Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Plumpton, Lewes, Polegate, Eastbourne,[a] Hampden Park, Pevensey & Westham, Cooden Beach, Collington, Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings
 377
London Victoria – Brighton 2
  • East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath
  • 377
  • 387
Arun Valley
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Victoria – Southampton Central and Bognor Regis via Crawley 1

The two portions divide/attach at Horsham.

377
Southampton Central portion: Bognor Regis portion:
London Victoria – Portsmouth & Southsea and Bognor Regis via Crawley 1
  • Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Crawley, Horsham...

The two portions divide/attach at Horsham.

377
Portsmouth & Southsea portion:
  • Barnham, Chichester, Havant, Fratton
 Bognor Regis portion:
  • Billingshurst, Pulborough, Arundel, Ford, Barnham
Coastway East
Route tph Calling at Stock
Brighton – Lewes 2
  • London Road, Moulsecoomb, Falmer
 313
Brighton – Seaford 2
  • London Road, Moulsecoomb, Falmer, Lewes, Southease (1tph), Newhaven Town, Newhaven Harbour (limited), Bishopstone
 313
Brighton – Hastings 1
  • 377
  • 387
Brighton – Ore 1
  • Falmer, Lewes, Glynde, Polegate, Eastbourne,[a] Hampden Park (Ore-bound only), Pevensey & Westham (Ore-bound only), Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings
  • 377
  • 387
Eastbourne – Ashford International 1
  • Hampden Park, Pevensey & Westham, Pevensey Bay (limited), Normans Bay, Cooden Beach, Collington, Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings, Ore, Three Oaks (1tp2h), Doleham (limited), Winchelsea (1tp2h), Rye, Appledore, Ham Street

Three Oaks and Winchelsea are served by alternate trains.

171
Coastway West
Route tph Calling at Stock
Brighton – Hove 2 313
Brighton – West Worthing 2 313
Brighton – Southampton Central 1 377
Brighton – Portsmouth Harbour 1
  • 377
  • 313
Littlehampton – Portsmouth & Southsea 1 313
Littlehampton – Bognor Regis 1
  • Ford, Barnham
 313
Barnham – Bognor Regis 1 313
Oxted
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Victoria – East Grinstead 2
  • Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Sanderstead, Riddlesdown, Upper Warlingham, Woldingham, Oxted, Hurst Green, Lingfield, Dormans
 377
London Bridge – Uckfield 1
  • East Croydon, Oxted, Hurst Green, Edenbridge Town, Hever, Cowden, Ashurst, Eridge, Crowborough, Buxted
 171
Redhill
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Victoria – Reigate 2
  • Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Purley, Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill
 377
Redhill – Tonbridge 1 377
West London
Route tph Calling at Stock
Milton Keynes Central – Clapham Junction 1
  • 377
  • 387
Metro
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Victoria – Dorking (and Horsham) via Carshalton 2 377
London Victoria – Epsom via Carshalton 2
  • Clapham Junction, Balham, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Hackbridge, Carshalton, Sutton, Cheam, Ewell East
 377
London Victoria – Sutton (and Epsom Downs) via Norbury 4
  • Battersea Park, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst, West Croydon, Waddon, Wallington, Carshalton Beeches
  • 2tph extended to/from Epsom Downs, calling at
    • Belmont and Banstead.
  • 377
  • 455
London Victoria – West Croydon via Gipsy Hill 2
  • Battersea Park, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Hill, West Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Crystal Palace, Norwood Junction
 377
London Victoria – London Bridge via Gipsy Hill 2
  • Battersea Park, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Hill, West Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Crystal Palace

Services continue to London Bridge via Sydenham (see below).

377
London Bridge – London Victoria via Sydenham 2

Services continue to London Victoria via Gipsy Hill (see above).

377
London Bridge – Coulsdon Town via Sydenham 2
  • New Cross Gate, Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Penge West, Anerley, Norwood Junction, East Croydon, South Croydon, Purley Oaks, Purley, Reedham
 455
London Bridge – Epsom 2
  • Norwood Junction, West Croydon, Waddon, Wallington, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton, Cheam, Ewell East
 377
London Bridge – Caterham and Tattenham Corner 2
  • East Croydon, South Croydon, Purley Oaks, Purley...

The two portions divide/attach at Purley.

377
Caterham portion:
  • Kenley, Whyteleafe, Whyteleafe South
 Tattenham Corner portion:
  • Reedham, Coulsdon Town, Woodmansterne, Chipstead, Kingswood, Tadworth
London Bridge – Caterham via Peckham Rye and Norbury 2
  • South Bermondsey, Queens Road Peckham, Peckham Rye, East Dulwich, North Dulwich, Tulse Hill, Streatham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst, East Croydon, Purley, Kenley, Whyteleafe, Whyteleafe South
  • 377
  • 455
London Bridge – Beckenham Junction via Peckham Rye 2
  • South Bermondsey, Queens Road Peckham, Peckham Rye, East Dulwich, North Dulwich, Tulse Hill, West Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Crystal Palace, Birkbeck
  • 377
  • 455


Franchise commitments[]

An example of widescale upgrade works at Harpenden station including the extension of platforms for 12 carriage trains, a new footbridge with lifts, new waiting rooms, brighter lighting, new ticket gates and automatic passenger information screens

This franchise is different from many other franchises let since privatisation in 1996. Now the operator, in this case Govia, gives all revenue to the government, rather than paying set premiums. The Department for Transport will pay Govia, totalling around £8.9bn over the franchise period of seven years, from the expected revenues of £12.4bn. With this Govia expects to make a 3% profit, and the risks on costs will be Govia's, while the DfT will profit or lose from fluctuations in revenue.[28]

Govia plans to invest £50m in all 239 stations it will manage. It plans to:[29]

  • Enhance all 239 stations including improving access, replace electronic information screens and working with local authorities on the redevelopment of St Albans and Luton stations.
  • Increase staffing hours at many stations, with the 100 busiest stations staffed from first to last train, like London Overground stations.
  • Extension of 'the key' smartcard which Southern has been introducing.
  • Provide 104 stations with free wifi.
  • £1.5m on station access improvements including increased cycle storage and electrical vehicle charging points.

Other plans include:[30]

  • Half-hourly King's Lynn to London services
  • Direct Peterborough, Cambridge, Welwyn Garden City and Finsbury Park to Tattenham Corner, Caterham, Horsham services.[31]
  • Increasing Great Northern suburban services to four trains per hour via Enfield Chase and New Barnet
  • Great Northern suburban services to run to Moorgate at weekends and on weekday evenings
  • 50% increase in capacity from Uckfield to London in the peaks.
  • Doubling overnight Thameslink services
  • Sevenoaks Thameslink services to run on Saturdays
  • Working to extend Oyster to Epsom, Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport Parkway, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North[32]
  • Class 387 Electrostars for King's Lynn express services, releasing Class 317s, 321s and some Class 365s for newly electrified routes elsewhere.[33]
  • Creating an with Network Rail in 2016, like South West Trains.[34]

Rolling stock[]

Interior of a Thameslink Class 700
Interior of a Great Northern Class 387 having been moved over from the Thameslink brand with a Southern interior.

In 2011 the consortium Cross London Trains Ltd. consisting of Siemens Project Ventures, 3i Infrastructure plc and Innisfree Ltd was announced as preferred bidder with Siemens to manufacture and maintain the rolling stock to run on the Thameslink routes from 2016. This was a politically controversial decision as the competing bidder Bombardier Transportation had a train factory in the UK.[35] Both the procurement process and final close of contract were significantly delayed, resulting in the expected first delivery date moving from 2012 to 2016. The trains are known as Class 700s and the £1.6 billion contract to manufacture and provide service depots for the trains was finalised in mid 2013.[36] A fleet of 115 8- and 12-car trains is expected to enter service between 2016 and 2018. A new-build rolling stock depot was completed at Three Bridges in 2015,[37] and Hornsey depot was extended northwards and had several new buildings added in 2016.[38]

Because of the delay in procuring the Class 700 trains, 29 Class 387 trains were ordered for the Thameslink route, releasing the Class 319 trains to newly electrified routes. Delivery was completed in 2014 and the trains entered service later that year. The order includes provision for an extra 140 vehicles.[7][39] It was originally planned that once the Class 700s began entering service, the Class 387s would be transferred to Great Western Railway for use on routes in the Thames Valley.[40] However a change of plans saw GWR order an entirely new fleet of Class 387s, so the Thameslink units were cascaded to the Great Northern route following delivery of the Class 700s.[41][42]

In addition to the introduction of the new Class 700 units, GTR also ordered a further 25 new 6-car trains to replace the 40-year-old Class 313 units[28] on the Great Northern Moorgate suburban services. In December 2015, Siemens was selected to provide these as a follow-on to the Class 700 order.[43][44] They were designated as the Class 717 in June 2016, and were first introduced in September 2018.[45][46]

Current fleet[]

Family Class Image Type Top speed Cars Number Routes operated Built
mph km/h
Southern
Bombardier Turbostar

171

171727 Southern.JPG DMU 100 161 2 12 Oxted line (Uckfield branch)
Marshlink line 		2003–04
4 8

Southern Class 171-4-8.png

BREL 1972

313

313203 at Brighton.jpg EMU 75 120 3 19 West Coastway line
East Coastway line 		1976–77

Bombardier Electrostar

377

Class 377, Milton Keynes.jpg EMU 100 160 3 28 Entire Southern network apart from Oxted to Uckfield and Ore to Ashford International lines 2001–05
4 152
5 34 2012–14




455

BREL Class 455 No 455834 (6010735761).jpg EMU 75 120 4 46 Metro and commuter services from London Victoria and London Bridge 1982–84
Gatwick Express
Bombardier Electrostar

387/2

Unit 387205 at Gatwick Airport.jpg EMU 110 177 4 27 Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport / Brighton 2015–16
Great Northern
Bombardier Electrostar 387 Cambridge - GTSR Great Northern 387123 empty to depot.JPG EMU 110 177 4 29 Express services between London King's Cross and Peterborough / Ely / King's Lynn 2014–15
Siemens Desiro

717 Desiro City[46]

717 020 Great Northern.jpg EMU 85 137 6 25 Northern City Line: Services between London Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City / Hertford North / Watton-at-Stone 2018
Great Northern Class 717.png
Thameslink
Siemens Desiro 700/0 & 700/1 Desiro City 700056 Luton to Sevenoaks 2E21 (26719415727).jpg
700155 Trainbow south of Balcombe.jpg 		EMU 100 161 8 60 All Thameslink services 2015–18
12 55
Thameslink Class 700-0.png
Thameslink Class 700-1.png

Past fleet[]

Former units operated by Thameslink and Great Northern include:

Class Image Type Top speed Carriages Number Built Routes Withdrawn Transferred to
mph km/h
365 Networker Express Class 365 Networker Express in Great Northern livery by Hugh Llewelyn.jpg EMU 100 161 4 40 1994-95 Express services between London King's Cross and Peterborough / Ely / King's Lynn 2018-2021 Abellio ScotRail and Storage
Great Northern Class 365.png
313 313057 AAP.jpg EMU 75 121 3 44 1976-77 Northern City Line 2019 Scrapped and replaced with Class 717
313 First Capital Connect and Great Northern.png
317 Stevenage railway station MMB 02 317345.jpg EMU 100 161 4 12 1981–82 Express services between London King's Cross to Peterborough and Cambridge 2017 Greater Anglia
Class 317 Great Northern Diagram.png
319 319373 and 319 number 438 to Sevenoaks 2E45 by Train Photos.jpg EMU 100 161 4 86 1987–88
1990 		All Thameslink services 2015–17 Arriva Rail North, London Midland, Northern Rail or stored.
Class 319 Thameslink Diagram.png
321 Cambridge - TSGN 321404+321406 Kings Cross service.JPG EMU 100 161 4 13 1989–90 Express services between London King's Cross to Peterborough and Cambridge 2016 Greater Anglia, Abellio ScotRail (converted to Class 320/4s)
377 Electrostar 377519 empty coaching stock (16513428502).jpg 26 2008–09 Some Thameslink services 2017 Southeastern and Southern
Class 377 First Capital Connect Diagram.PNG

Performance[]

Govia and Thameslink passenger numbers 2010/11 to 2018/19 Q4, annual rolling average[47][48]

In February 2015, Thameslink and Great Northern came at the bottom of Which? magazine's Best and worst UK train companies customer survey, scoring a customer satisfaction score of 43%. Thameslink and Great Northern were also scored 2/5 stars in each of the specific categories covered by the survey (including Reliability, Punctuality and Cleanliness of toilets) – which is the worst performance of any UK train operator. In the Which? 2017 survey Thameslink and Great Northern improved their performance slightly with a rating of 46% also, their position in the table was second to bottom[49](Southern were in bottom place, but had been subject huge disruption due to industrial action).

Passenger numbers on Govia Thameslink Railway (which also includes Southern and Gatwick Express) have risen from 262 million annually in 2010/11 to 327 million annually in 2015/16.[48]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c Trains reverse here
  2. ^ Served by trains to/from Horsham

References[]

  1. ^ "GTR contract extended to March 2022". The Go-Ahead Group. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Topham, Gwyn (23 May 2014). "FirstGroup loses Thameslink franchise to Go-Ahead joint venture". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Consultation on the combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise". Department for Transport. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Expanding and improving the rail network". Department for Transport. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  5. ^ Rail franchising future programme. Department for Transport. 31 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Railway plan puts new focus on passengers". Secretary of State for Transport statement 26 March 2013.
  7. ^ a b Thameslink Southern & Great Northern Invitation to Tender. Department for Transport. 26 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Govia chosen for new Thameslink contract". Railnews. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Govia wins TSGN franchise, beating FirstGroup". Rail Technology. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  10. ^ "New rail franchising deal set to transform passenger services across London and south east". Department for Transport (DfT). 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Govia wins Thameslink rail franchise". BBC News Online. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  12. ^ Ben James (18 June 2016). "Fines issued to rail provider GTR for poor performance slammed". The Argus. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  13. ^ Simon Usborne (8 July 2016). "All aboard the Southern chaos train: the commuters caught in a war on rails". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  14. ^ "Thameslink woes hit Go-Ahead shares". BBC News. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  15. ^ Craig Richard (17 June 2016). "Boss of Epsom's main train operator Govia Thameslink Railway takes home £2.1m paycheck despite "appalling service"". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  16. ^ Joseph Watts (17 June 2016). "Govia Thameslink Railway boss refuses to defend CEO £2m pay". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  17. ^ Gwyn Topham, Matthew Weaver (12 July 2016). "Take Southern rail franchise off operator, urges Sadiq Khan". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Rail minister Claire Perry resigns". BBC News. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Thameslink: Train Timetables". June 2018.
  20. ^ Table 25 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (ECML services)
    Table 52 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Thameslink route services)
    Table 52-MML National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Midland Main Line services)
    Table 179 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Sutton loop)
    Table 183 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Gatwick Airport and Horsham services)
    Table 184 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Brighton Main Line services)
    Table 196 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Catford Loop Line services)
    Table 201 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (North Kent Line services)
  21. ^ Table 182 National Rail timetable, May 2020
  22. ^ Table 188 National Rail timetable, May 2020
  23. ^ Train Routes - Great Northern
  24. ^ Table 24 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (commuter services)
    Table 25 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (regional services)
  25. ^ "Temporary suspension of Gatwick Express". Gatwick Express. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  26. ^ Ltd, Jacobs Media Group. "Gatwick Express reinstated after 21 months". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  27. ^ Table 170 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (via Selhurst)
    Table 171 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (via Gipsy Hill)
    Table 172 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Sutton and Epsom Downs services)
    Table 173 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (via Peckham Rye)
    Table 176 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (West London Line services)
    Table 177 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (via Sydenham)
    Table 180 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Epsom, Dorking and Horsham services)
    Table 181 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Tattenham Corner and Caterham services)
    Table 182 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (via Oxted)
    Table 183 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Redhill services)
    Table 184 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Brighton Main Line services)
    Table 186 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Arundel Line and via Chichester)
    Table 188 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (West Coastway Line via Worthing)
    Table 189 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Lewes and Seaford services)
    Table 190 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Eastbourne and Ore services)
    Table 192 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (Marshlink Line services)
  28. ^ a b Topham, Gwyn (23 May 2014). "FirstGroup loses Thameslink franchise to Go-Ahead joint venture". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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External links[]

Media related to Govia Thameslink Railway at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
First Capital Connect
Thameslink and Great Northern franchise
 Operator of Thameslink, Southern
and Great Northern franchise
2014/2015 – 2022 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Southern
South Central franchise
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