106-741: Southern is the brand name used by the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) train operating company on the Southern routes of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise in England. It is a subsidiary of Govia , a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead and Keolis , and has operated the South Central franchise since August 2001 and the Gatwick Express service since June 2008. When
212-517: A 3% profit, and the risks on operating costs will be Govia's, while the DfT will profit or lose from fluctuations in revenue. Prior to the start of the franchise, Govia stated its plans to invest £50 million in all 239 stations that it would manage. The specifics of these plans include: Govia also stated its intention to bring about the following: In order to replace the Class 319 trains and to operate
318-543: A day of work and drivers are not paid for all the time they work. By 2009, National Express East Coast had come under increasing financial pressure due to various factors, including compounding rises in fuel prices and the poor economic climate of the time, commonly known as the Great Recession . In contrast to the company's projected revenue increases during its franchise, NXEC's actual operating income (generated primarily from ticket sales) had decreased by 1 percent during
424-491: A direct-award contract expiring on 1 April 2025, with the option for the government to extend this until 1 April 2028 at the latest. GTR is one of several train operators impacted by the 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes , which are the first national rail strikes in the UK for three decades. Its workers are amongst those who have voted in favour of taking industrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions. GTR
530-515: A junior transport minister, the Gillingham MP Paul Clark , listed a series of concerns to National Express in a letter following a meeting with an employee of National Express East Coast who lives in his constituency. The worker claimed that, due to reduced maintenance checks, some trains were in use with defective brakes, an allegation that was strongly denied by the company, which stated it would "never compromise on safety". He wrote: "As
636-459: A new management team taking over the company in July 1991 which had the backing of ECI Partners , a mid-market private equity firm. The new team refocused the group on its core activities, leading to the sale of Crosville Wales to British Bus . During October 1991, it purchased Speedlink, an operator of coach services between Gatwick and Heathrow Airports . In December 1992, National Express Group plc
742-507: A new suburban metro service. However, the plan was rejected by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling in December 2016. In January 2017, it was reported that the Department for Transport was considering temporarily renationalising the franchise if the service did not improve. Govia Thameslink Railway Govia Thameslink Railway ( GTR ) is a British train operating company that operates
848-451: A new unified National Express identity. It was intended to achieve greater recognition for all the group companies, to coincide with recent acquisitions and after current rail operations had improved in reliability to warrant association with the established express coach image. It coincided with the appointment of a group director for all UK operations and relocation of the head office from London to Birmingham , bringing all operations under
954-699: A private operator. However, in October 2016, National Express elected to pull out, citing a delay in the ability to order new rolling stock while a challenge brought on by Deutsche Bahn was resolved, would make its bid unviable. In June 2015, it was announced that the parts 2 and 3 of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express which will be introduced in 2018 will be operated by National Express. This includes Regional-Express services RE4, RE5 and RE6 in Northrhine-Westphalia . In December 2016, coach operator Clarkes of London
1060-443: A result of reduced maintenance checks, 'some long-haul sets [trains] are in use with brake defects'. Increasing cuts in staff combined with an increasing pressure to ensure that trains run safely has resulted in fears among staff that a major accident is 'just around the corner'." Passengers, he added, "have been 'poisoned' as a result of coffee machines not being cleaned correctly, with cleaning fluids left in situ". The minister said he
1166-618: A single strategic management structure. Day-to-day management remained within individual companies. During February 2007, the Department for Transport announced that National Express, along with Arriva , First , and Virgin Rail Group , had been shortlisted to lodge bids for the InterCity East Coast franchise. In August 2007, the Department for Transport awarded the Intercity East Coast franchise to National Express, leading to
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#17328523495471272-532: 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 Moorgate . Destinations include Hertford North , Welwyn Garden City , Stevenage , Peterborough , Cambridge and King's Lynn . In May 2018,
1378-569: Is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham , England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express . The company also operates transport services including trains abroad: in the Republic of Ireland , United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Germany, Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and South Korea, and long-distance coach services across Europe. It
1484-558: Is listed on the London Stock Exchange . In 1972, the state-owned National Bus Company decided to bring together the scheduled coach services operated by its bus operating companies in the United Kingdom under one brand. Sir Frederick Wood , a prominent businessman and industrialist, was asked to oversee the creation of this new business model and led the group as its chairman from 1972 to 1978. Initially branded as National ,
1590-470: Is maintained at Brighton Lovers Walk and Selhurst depots. The Gatwick Express fleet is maintained at Stewarts Lane . Light maintenance is also carried out at Littlehampton for the electric fleet, and St Leonards for the class 171 fleet when on Marshlink services. Southern, as part of its successful bid for the South Central franchise in 2009, made several commitments to improving services across
1696-448: Is only capable of operating a very minimal timetable on any of the planned dates for the strikes due to the number of staff involved. 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 miles) north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton , serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport , with
1802-466: The Class 387 , Class 700 , and Class 717 . In terms of infrastructure, Govia planned to invest £50 million into the 239 stations it manages to improve accessibility, replace information systems, and increase staffing hours, alongside general redevelopment work. Various measures at increasing capacity and improving service were also planned, such as the doubling of overnight Thameslink services, half-hourly King's Lynn to London services, and extending
1908-653: The Great Northern brand are those on the Northern City Line , the stopping services to/from Cambridge and Letchworth Garden City and the express services to/from Cambridge, Ely and King's Lynn, as well as Peterborough at peak times. The Great Northern off-peak service pattern, as of June 2024, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), consists of the following: The Southern and Gatwick Express brands joined Govia Thameslink Railway on 26 July 2015. Southern routes run from London Victoria and London Bridge through
2014-778: The M>;Train , M>Tram and V/Line Passenger rail franchises in the Australian state of Victoria . During January 2000, National Express expanded into the American market by acquiring ATC, a public transportation operator. In July 2000, Prism Rail was purchased, though which the c2c , Wales & Borders , Wessex Trains and West Anglia Great Northern franchises were added to National Express' portfolio. In December 2002, National Express handed in its rail franchises in Victoria , Australia, having been unable to renegotiate financial terms with
2120-577: The National Express brand was first used in 1974. With the privatisation of the National Bus Company in the 1980s, National Express was subject to a management buyout in March 1988. The management team pursued various means of diversification; during 1989, the company purchased Crosville Wales . Starting in early 1990s, National Express' financial performance began to deteriorate; this led to
2226-674: The Oyster card network. As early as June 2016, GTR was facing public criticism from officials over its performance, including calls from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for it to be stripped of the franchise. 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, an interim timetable that ran fewer trains had to be adopted due to frequent service issues. In response to
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#17328523495472332-570: The Secretary of State for Transport announced that the franchise would be extended again to run up to 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. During September 2013, a revised invitation to tender was issued. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that Govia Thameslink Railway had been awarded the franchise. On 14 September 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) took over services from First Capital Connect ; at
2438-666: The State Government . During February 2004, the London bus operations of Connex were purchased and rebranded Travel London . In April 2004, National Express East Anglia commenced operating the Greater Anglia rail franchise . In September 2004, National Express sold its Melbourne bus operations to Ventura Bus Lines , and Brisbane and Perth bus operations to Connex . After being placed in administration in January 2005, Westbus
2544-555: The TSGN rail franchise . Within the franchise, GTR runs trains under the sub-brands: Thameslink , Great Northern , Southern , and Gatwick Express . GTR is a subsidiary of Govia , which is itself a joint venture between the British Go-Ahead Group (65%) and French company Keolis (35%). The franchise was awarded, after repeated delays, to Govia Thameslink Railway on 23 May 2014. On 14 September 2014, GTR took over operations for
2650-458: The West London line . For three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018, Southern came last on passenger satisfaction in surveys conducted by the consumer group Which? , scoring low for value for money, reliability, and punctuality in 2018. In 2022, Southern was ranked second-worst on overall passenger satisfaction in a survey conducted by Transport Focus . As part of the wider privatisation of
2756-503: The passenger rail franchise was subsumed into GTR, Southern was split from Gatwick Express and the two became separate brands, alongside the Thameslink and Great Northern brands. Southern operates the majority of commuter services from its Central London terminals at London Bridge and London Victoria to South London, East and West Sussex , as well as regional services in parts of Hampshire , Kent and Surrey . It also provides services between Watford Junction and Croydon via
2862-517: The 'Metro' area of the South Central franchise. However, such a transfer never took place and the DfT put out the entire franchise for tender. In August 2008, the DfT shortlisted Govia, National Express , NedRail and Stagecoach for the new South Central franchise. In June 2009, the DfT announced that Govia had retained the franchise, to start on 20 September 2009. In March 2012, the Department for Transport announced that Abellio , FirstGroup , Govia , MTR and Stagecoach had been shortlisted for
2968-457: The 'Touromo' brand. Touromo aimed to provide day trips and short breaks to destinations across the UK and Europe as one combined brand, and National Express planned to expand the brand outside the West Midlands and South East England to operate across the United Kingdom. Six months later, however, it was announced that Touromo was to cease operations and that National Express Transport Solutions
3074-722: The Bahrain Public Transport Company in which National Express holds a 50% shareholding commenced operating a 10-year concession in Bahrain . In May 2009, National Express sold some of its bus operations to Abellio : In December 2020, National Express sold its Xplore Dundee business to McGill's Bus Services . Rail franchises formerly operated: National Express had a 17.5% shareholding in London & Continental Railways (L&CR) from its formation in September 1994 until it
3180-475: The British government 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). The Invitation to Tender was to have been issued in October 2012, with the successful bidder announced during Spring 2013 and TSGN originally due to start in September 2013. However, following
3286-998: The Class 377/6 fleet. In April 2016, Southern commenced a lease for nine three-carriage Class 170s last used by First ScotRail from Eversholt Rail Group . Four (170421–424) moved to Wolverton Works in 2015 and were reconfigured as two two-carriage and two four-carriage Class 171s. The other five (170416–420) remain in Scotland on sub-lease to Abellio ScotRail and were scheduled to move to Southern in 2018. In May 2022, Southern withdrew its Class 455s and received 2 Class 377s from Southeastern. On 7 September 2022, three Class 171s , having been reformed to three-car formations and renumbered to 170422–424, transferred to East Midlands Railway . Brighton Main Line East Coastway line West Coastway line (Brighton to Southampton Central) Former units operated by Southern include: Southern's fleet
Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-518: The Class 700s. In addition to these, GTR ordered 25 new six-car trains to replace 40-year-old Class 313 units, which were being run on the Great Northern suburban services out of Moorgate . During December 2015, Siemens was selected to provide these as a follow-on to the Class 700 order. They were designated as the Class 717 in June 2016, and were first introduced in September 2018. In May 2023
3498-514: The Coastway lines from May 2010. The Class 313s remained in service until May 2023, when they were withdrawn and replaced by Class 377s. During 2011, Southern announced that, because of delays in procuring new trains for the Thameslink Programme , the 23 Class 377/5s on sub-lease to First Capital Connect would not be returned in time to deliver the operator's planned capacity increases from
3604-403: The December 2013 timetable change. It therefore began a process to procure 130 new vehicles. It was announced in December 2011 that Bombardier had been contracted to supply 26 five-car Class 377/6s. In November 2012, it was announced that an option for a further 40 vehicles was being exercised. All twenty-four Class 456s were transferred to South West Trains in 2014 after the introduction of
3710-469: The Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport and Brighton. Gatwick Express operates an express commuter and airport transfer service between London Victoria , Gatwick Airport , Haywards Heath and Brighton . Between 6:00 am and 9:00 am on weekdays, northbound services call additionally at Preston Park , Hassocks and Burgess Hill . Services stop additionally at
3816-534: The National Express offer, in March 2022, the Stagecoach board of directors withdrew its recommendation in favour of a takeover offer from a DWS managed investment fund. In January 2023, the coach excursion business of seven National Express Transport Solutions companies (Coliseum Coaches, Lucketts Travel, Mortons Travel, Solent Tours, Stewarts Tours, Woods Tours and Worthing Coaches) were brought together under
3922-607: The SSRA announced that Govia had been awarded the franchise and would operate it from May 2003. Govia negotiated a deal with Connex to buy out the remainder of its franchise, this was completed in August 2001. Govia trading as SouthCentral took over operations on 26 August 2001. The franchise was originally to run for twenty years but, in 2002, the Strategic Rail Authority changed the way it handled financing agreements and therefore Govia
4028-542: The South Central Franchise Consultation Paper, be the reopening of the Uckfield – Lewes line, closed in 1969. During the 2010s, several interested parties have been examining the possibility of reopening the line. In January 2016, Transport for London announced a proposal to take over the London suburban parts of the franchise in 2021 through a partnership with the Department for Transport to form
4134-695: 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
4240-541: The Southern Class 313 units were withdrawn from service. Brighton Main Line East Coastway line West Coastway line (Brighton to Southampton Central) 387 717 Desiro City Govia Thameslink Railway issued a tender in April 2023 for between 21 and 30 four-coach 100 mph (160 km/h) trains, with an estimated value of £48.6 million. On 12 March 2024 it was announced that Great Northern would lease
4346-547: The West Coastway line and direct services between Southampton and Brighton on Sundays. In January 2015, Southern hit controversy when it was revealed that the 7.29am Brighton to London Victoria train failed to get in on time on any occasion out of all 240 attempts in 2014. Later in May 2015 it was revealed that Southern had fined passengers for standing in first class on an overcrowded train. Only 20% of Southern trains arrived on time in
Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-476: The collapse of the InterCity West Coast re-franchising process, it was decided to enact a temporary freeze on all franchising competitions until January 2013. In January 2013, the government announced that it would extend the existing contract through to March 2014, and that it intended to negotiate with FirstGroup to operate the franchise under a management contract for up to two years. In March 2013,
4558-508: The commencement of operations, it served 122 stations and operated a fleet of 226 trains. The separate Thameslink and Great Northern brands were maintained upon the GTR takeover. During December 2014, full control was taken of the Sevenoaks Thameslink service, previously operated jointly with Southeastern . During July 2015, both Southern and Gatwick Express became a part of GTR, making it
4664-493: 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. The Monday–Friday off-peak service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes: During peak hours,
4770-505: The company's finances under stress largely as a result of having overbid for the National Express East Coast rail franchise, National Express became a takeover target in 2009. In June 2009, a takeover offer from fellow transport operator FirstGroup was rejected. On 3 September 2009, National Express' largest shareholder, Spain's Cosmen family with 18.5%, and CVC Capital Partners made a takeover offer of £765 million for
4876-455: The company. The Takeover Panel set a deadline of 11 September 2009 for all prospective bids. During September 2009, National Express agreed to allow the Cosmen/CVC consortium to undertake due diligence . During the following month, the Cosmen/CVC consortium had reportedly reached an agreement to sell the UK bus and rail operations to rival transport operator Stagecoach Group if its offer
4982-414: The conclusion of the Southern franchise in July 2015, the South Central franchise was merged into the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, which is run as a management contract rather than a traditional franchise. However, the Southern brand was retained. Southern was criticised for major changes to its timetables in December 2007 and December 2008. In December 2007, Southern changed the arrangement for
5088-514: The conductor to concentrate on the passengers, but the RMT and Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) unions said that it was an attempt to make conductors unnecessary and would be unsafe. The rail safety regulator, the Rail Standards and Safety Board has said that "We have 30 years of data which we have analysed. We have found that the driver performing the task does not increase
5194-456: The contract". In 2016, the company introduced an "amended timetable [that] would be a temporary measure until staffing returned to normal" to be announced on 5 July. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) trade union said that 350 services would be cancelled every day (the company ran 2,242 weekday services in the previous timetable). The company said it had insufficient personnel, and too many were taking sick leave ;
5300-430: The creation of National Express East Coast (NXEC) shortly thereafter. Under the terms of its franchise agreement, National Express committed to paying a £1.4-billion premium to the Department of Transport over a time span of seven years and four months. However, numerous rail analysts promptly voiced concerns that the company had paid too much for the franchise, and had effectively repeated GNER's mistake in order to secure
5406-470: The difference in speed and frequency of service between East Coastway services and those on the Brighton Main Line. Further changes to the timetable were made in December 2010; the first timetable change to include many of the requirements of the new franchise. Additional services were included at evenings and weekends. In the London area a 'metro' frequency of service was introduced on most routes with
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#17328523495475512-497: The dispute with ASLEF had been resolved. However, the RMT union said it was 'betrayed' by Southern and that strikes by the RMT would continue. On 29 June 2017, ASLEF implemented an overtime ban with the aim of highlighting a claimed failure by Southern to recruit adequate staff. The standard off-peak service as of June 2024 is: As of May 2022, Southern services are almost entirely operated by 214 Class 377 electric multiple units, with
5618-507: The exception of services on the unelectrified Marshlink line and the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line , which use Class 171 diesel multiple units. South Central inherited a fleet of Class 205 , Class 207 , Class 319 , Class 421 , Class 423 , Class 455 and Class 456 multiple-unit trains from Connex South Central . Southern inherited a Class 73 locomotive and Class 460 Juniper trains from Gatwick Express . A franchise commitment
5724-499: The expanded Thameslink network, a fleet of 115 eight- and twelve-car Class 700 trains had been procured during the franchise term of First Capital Connect. These entered service between 2016 and 2019. As a consequence of the delayed procurement of the Class 700 trains, 29 Class 387 trains had also been ordered for the Thameslink route to release the Class 319 trains to newly electrified routes. Deliveries were completed during 2014 and
5830-447: The extended Gatwick Express services to Brighton, in 2008 Southern leased 17 Class 442 Wessex Electrics withdrawn by South West Trains in early 2007. After retaining the franchise in 2009, Southern leased the remaining seven Class 442s. The last of the Class 460 Junipers were withdrawn in September 2012. To release Class 377/3s for use on London suburban services, Southern introduced a fleet of ex- London Overground Class 313s on
5936-416: The extension of the weekday daytime four-trains-per-hour norm to late evenings (up to around midnight), Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, new late-night services were introduced from London on Friday and Saturday nights with last trains leaving central London at around 00:30. Outside London, a new later-evening service was introduced to Uckfield from London Bridge, new late-night services from Brighton along
6042-443: The first half of 2009. According to Rail , the franchise had quickly garnered a reputation for cost-cutting and a decline in service levels, particularly in terms of the onboard catering. It had also introduced various new charges, such as a £2.50 per journey leg for seat reservations. During April 2009, National Express confirmed that the company was still pursuing talks with the government over possible financial assistance with
6148-456: The franchise, either through a reduction in the premium due or some other form of assistance. During these negotiations, the company had reportedly offered to pay over £100 million to be released from its commitment to operate the franchise. In July 2009, the Department for Transport announced that it would take the National Express East Coast franchise into public ownership at the end of
6254-448: The franchise. On 9 December 2007, National Express East Coast commenced operations, taking over from Great North Eastern Railway . In May 2009, National Express sold Travel London and Travel Surrey to Abellio . On 3 January 2007, a speeding National Express coach overturned on the M4 / M25 slip road, leaving three passengers dead. The driver was jailed for five years. In July 2009,
6360-462: The franchise. On 15 July 2016, citing the issues, Rail Minister Claire Perry resigned from her position. In response to the significant decline of passenger travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic , GTR considerably curtailed its services by mid-2020. Between 30 March 2020 and 3 April 2022, Gatwick Express services were suspended. In March 2022, following changes made due to COVID-19, the DfT gave GTR
6466-550: 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. 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
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#17328523495476572-399: The full 30-unit fleet of Class 379 units. Former units operated by Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern include: [REDACTED] 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
6678-450: The government gave a management contract rather than a normal franchise to GTR in order to push through DOO. The management contract meant that GTR did not have the incentive to resolve strikes as a normal franchisee would have, as the government lost money from strikes rather than GTR. On 2 February 2017, the TUC announced that talks between Southern and ASLEF had reached an agreement meaning that
6784-498: The government had permitted GTR to introduce the emergency timetable, but that it was "nothing to do with staff sickness and everything to do with gross mismanagement of this franchise and the failure to employ enough guards and drivers. ... a cynical and cowardly ploy". The London Evening Standard mentioned Southern in an article in June 2016 "Southern rail suggests commuter goes on 100 mile detour to Clapham instead of her normal six minute journey". In June 2016, amongst criticism of
6890-693: The group are: In July 2023, National Express announced they would be ceasing the operation of coach tours having only launched the Tourismo brand of coach tours in January the same year. National Express Germany operates a number of train services in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia . Following the financial difficulties of Abellio GmbH, National Express was awarded an emergency contract to operate further services in North Rhine-Westphalia from February 2022 to run for two years. In February 2015,
6996-521: The introduction of regular services through the Canal Tunnels during May 2018, many GTR services on the East Coast Main Line were rebranded from Great Northern to Thameslink . Most of these services have been 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
7102-414: The largest rail franchise in terms of passengers, staff and fleet in the UK. The franchise has an unusual structure: it is a management contract where fare income does not go to GTR. Under their original contract, the Department for Transport pays GTR £8.9 billion over the first seven-year period and receives all revenue. Consequently, the company carries less revenue risk. This form of franchise
7208-412: The network. These included: The franchise consultation paper released at the beginning of the 2009 franchising process stated that the ultimate franchise agreement would include a change mechanism to enable the DfT to incorporate additional routes into the South Central franchise, and it invited bidders to submit priced options for schemes put forward by stakeholders. One such scheme could, as indicated in
7314-584: The new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise. The Invitation to Tender was to be issued in October 2012, with the successful bidder announced in spring 2013. However, in the wake of the collapse of the InterCity West Coast refranchising process, the government announced in October 2012 that the process would be put on hold pending the results of a review. In December 2012, Southern's London Victoria to London Bridge via Denmark Hill service ceased, being partially replaced by London Overground 's new Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction service. At
7420-406: The performance of its services, Go-Ahead warned of lower than anticipated profits on its Govia Thameslink Railway franchises, leading to an 18% drop in the Go-Ahead share price. From 31 October 2016, Southern restored the full weekday timetable. In 2016, Southern altered its method of door operation, with control of the doors moving from the conductor to the driver. Southern said this would allow
7526-606: The permanent public ownership of the InterCity East Coast franchise, or even the complete scrapping of the entire franchise system. In November 2009, the government announced that National Express East Anglia would not be granted a three-year extension that it had otherwise qualified for; this was reportedly a result of the East Coast default. However, National Express were subsequently granted an extension until October 2011, followed by another through to February 2012. With
7632-509: The power to cancel trains. In December 2016, it was announced that the government would pay £50 million to Southern to cover the costs of the disruption caused by the strikes, due to a deal between the government and Southern. This deal means that the government pays £38 million for lost revenue and £15 million in compensation to passengers. This deal also means that Govia Thameslink Railway will save around £1.1 million in pay for striking workers. Commentators argued that
7738-597: The previous owners. In April 2007, National Express acquired Continental Auto, the second-largest bus and coach operator in Spain. During November 2007, South East England coach operator The Kings Ferry was purchased and an airport to hotel shuttle service in London branded Dot2Dot was launched. Dot2Dot did not prove to be commercially viable and thus ceased operations in November 2008. In November 2007, National Express announced plans to re-brand all of their operations under
7844-559: The prior franchisee First Capital Connect ; during July 2015, both Southern and Gatwick Express operations were integrated into GTR. This change made it the largest rail franchise in terms of passengers, staff and fleet in the UK. The franchise has an unusual structure involving a management contract that sees all fare revenues going straight to the Department for Transport (DfT), which in turn pays GTR fixed amounts that add up to £8.9 billion across its first seven years of operation. GTR introduced several fleets of new trains, including
7950-503: The privatisation of airports, purchasing East Midlands , Bournemouth , and Humberside Airports . In a move to concentrate on bus and rail provision, Humberside was sold to Manchester Airports Group in 1999 followed by Bournemouth and East Midlands in February 2001. Until November 2007, the group also operated Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, New York . However, the lease
8056-503: The prospect of no onward trains. During December 2008, further timetable changes included the introduction of the extended Gatwick Express services. However, reliability and timekeeping on some of the new services were considered poor, leading to several public meetings being held. On 22 January 2009, Southern responded to some of these criticisms. During 2009, these services have recorded improved timekeeping and criticisms have since subsided. The new timetable also led to unhappiness due to
8162-433: The risk to passengers at all." During 2016, the RMT and ASLEF unions went on strike over the changes, causing severe disruption to Southern services. The strikes continued into 2017. The BBC suggested that the RMT union are particularly worried about the new method of operation because if drivers (rather than conductors) control the doors then trains could run without conductors and thus any strike by conductors would not have
8268-441: The same stations in the southbound direction between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm. As of May 2023, the off-peak Monday-Saturday, with frequencies in 'trains per hour' (tph), consists of: On Sundays, Gatwick Express operates a half-hourly shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport only. The standard off-peak service as of June 2024 is: This franchise is different from many other franchises let since
8374-422: The significant decline of passenger travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic , GTR considerably curtailed its services by mid-2020. GTR is one of several train operators that are experiencing severe disruption of services due to the 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes . During 2006, the Thameslink and Great Northern services were merged into a single franchise due to the upcoming Thameslink Programme . In 2012,
8480-853: 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 (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. [REDACTED] Media related to Govia Thameslink Railway at Wikimedia Commons National Express Mobico Group , formerly National Express Group ,
8586-589: The splitting of services to and from London Victoria on the Arun Valley Line , opting to split trains at Horsham rather than Barnham , as well as run the portion to Portsmouth or Southampton non-stop to Barnham. Some passengers criticised this change as it increased the journey time to and from London by up to 10 minutes from certain stations, while in the event of services running behind schedule, trains were sometimes not split at Horsham, and proceeded non-stop to Barnham, leaving Arun Valley commuters at Horsham with
8692-415: The start of railway privatisation in 1996. Under the agreed terms of the franchise, 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 £8.9 billion over the franchise period of seven years, from the expected revenues of £12.4 billion. From these payments, Govia expects to generate
8798-590: The state owned railway operator British Rail in the 1990s, Connex South Central was awarded the Network SouthCentral franchise by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising . Operations commenced on 26 May 1996. In March 2000, the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (SSRA) announced its intention to relet the franchise from May 2003; both Connex and Govia were shortlisted. In October 2000,
8904-507: The top three United States school bus operators. In May 1999, National Express purchased Australia's largest private bus operator, National Bus Company . National Bus Company had bus operations in Brisbane , Melbourne and Perth , and also held a 57% shareholding in Westbus , Sydney 's largest bus operator. Westbus also had a London coach operation. In August 1999, National Express was awarded
9010-457: The trains entered service later that year. 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 . However, a change of plans saw GWR order an entirely new fleet of Class 387s, so the Thameslink units were instead cascaded to the Great Northern route following delivery of
9116-1096: The two trains per hour London Blackfriars to Sevenoaks service (from the table above) is extended through the 'core tunnel' to/from Welwyn Garden City (though a few services originate at Finsbury Park), with extra calls at City Thameslink, Farringdon, St Pancras International, Finsbury Park, New Southgate , Oakleigh Park , New Barnet , Potters Bar and Hatfield. As well as these services, during peak hours, several trains in each direction (approximately two trains per hour) run to/from Orpington (originating/terminating at either London Blackfriars, Luton, West Hampstead Thameslink or Kentish Town), all calling at Petts Wood in lieu of stations from St Mary Cray to Bat & Ball. In addition, there are seven trains per day in each direction that operate to/from East Grinstead (originating/terminating at either Bedford, West Hampstead Thameslink, St Pancras International or London Bridge), which, after calling at South Croydon, call at Sanderstead , Riddlesdown , Upper Warlingham , Woldingham , Oxted , Hurst Green , Lingfield and Dormans . Since
9222-427: The union denied that high levels of sickness were the cause of cancellations, while agreeing that there were an insufficient number of guards and drivers. The government Department for Transport said that the situation was unacceptable. While the company was obliged to notify the department in advance, this did not amount to giving the company permission for the changes. The RMT union general secretary Mick Cash said
9328-409: The year after National Express announced it would not invest any further funds into the franchise, effectively declaring it planned to default. In defaulting on the franchise, National Express directly incurred losses of £72 million by forfeiting bonds. Directly Operated Railways took over the East Coast franchise on 14 November 2009. The franchise failure sparked public and industry calls for
9434-512: The year from April 2015 to March 2016, and there was an ongoing industrial dispute over driver-only operated trains. In late 2016, the Transport Select Committee told ministers to "get a grip" on railway franchises, with their report asking if the train operator was in breach of their contractual obligations due to the large number of cancelled trains, and went on to say, "in normal circumstances, this would be grounds for termination of
9540-710: Was "shocked and appalled at the information with which I've been provided. You will understand that these allegations are exceptionally serious". School bus drivers in the US have raised concerns about the safety of the buses run by Durham, a subsidiary of National Express, and the second-largest operator of school bus services in North America. According to representatives of Durham bus drivers, fluid leaks, tyres that need to be replaced, black mould and non-functional emergency equipment are regular concerns, whilst workers continued to operate buses while sick because they cannot afford to miss
9646-599: Was acquired and rebranded Travel Dundee . During September 1998, Crabtree-Harmon, the seventh-largest student transportation bus company in the United States was acquired, with 82 school bus contracts mainly in Missouri , but also in other Midwest states including Colorado , Iowa , Kansas , Oklahoma and Utah . During February 1999, Robinson Bus Service was purchased; it was followed in August 1999 by Durham Transportation . These acquisitions placed National Express as one of
9752-617: Was acquired in April 1995. During April 1996, National Express commenced operating its first UK railway franchises, Gatwick Express and Midland Mainline . One year later, three other franchises were awarded, these being Silverlink , Central Trains and ScotRail . To comply with a Monopolies & Mergers Commission ruling on it winning the ScotRail franchise , National Express sold the Scottish Citylink operation to Metroline in August 1998. In February 1997, Taybus Public Transport
9858-651: Was awarded two regional rail contracts by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr , Zweckverband Nahverkehr Rheinland and Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe authorities that commenced in December 2015. In January 2015, the Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft announced that National Express had been selected to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn system from December 2018. It was to have been the first Deutsche Bahn S-Bahn network to be taken over by
9964-511: Was brought forward to September 2009 upon the integration of the Gatwick Express service, to allow the new operator to be in place during major changes to the timetable in and around South London in December 2009. In the run-up to the bidding process for the franchise, reports emerged suggesting that Transport for London , the operator of the London Overground service, wished to take control of all overground services in South London, including
10070-455: 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. During December 2015, GTR announced that the majority of its ticket prices would be frozen, and that the average fare rise for the coming year would be only 0.8%. In June 2016, amongst criticism of the performance of its services, Go-Ahead warned of lower than anticipated profits on
10176-490: Was floated on the London Stock Exchange . In 1993, Scottish Citylink , Eurolines and East Midlands Airport were acquired. During April 1995, National Express purchased West Midlands Travel , the formerly council-owned bus network of Birmingham and the West Midlands ; it was rebranded Travel West Midlands in September 1996. This move began the brand family of Travel ... local bus operations. Bournemouth Airport
10282-623: Was nationalised by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2009. L&CR was responsible for building the High Speed 1 project. National Express also held a 40% stake in the Inter-Capital and Regional Rail consortium which held the management contract for the UK arm of the Eurostar operation, L&CR's subsidiary Eurostar International from 1998 to 2010. In the 1990s, National Express moved into
10388-530: Was part of a wider plan to increase capacity on the Brighton Main Line , involving the extension of peak-hour services from Gatwick to Brighton and Eastbourne from December 2008. This change doubled the number of London to Brighton express trains during those periods. In December 2008, Southern took over the services on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line from Southeastern . The South Central franchise end date
10494-406: Was purchased with 56 vehicles. In March 2020, Lucketts Travel was purchased. During September 2021, it was reported that National Express had entered into talks to acquire Stagecoach Group. In December 2021, a deal was agreed between the boards of the two companies: however, it was subject to both shareholder approval and regulatory scrutiny. Having originally recommended shareholders accept
10600-444: Was re-awarded with a seven-and-a-half-year franchise until December 2009. In May 2003, the franchise was rebranded as Southern in a recall of the pre-nationalisation Southern Railway , using a green roundel logo with Southern in yellow in a green bar. During April 2007, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the Gatwick Express franchise was to be incorporated into the main South Central franchise. This reorganisation
10706-624: Was sold to ComfortDelGro Cabcharge in August 2005. In June 2005, the London bus arm of Tellings-Golden Miller was purchased by National Express, after which it was rebranded as Travel London. During July 2005, National Express sold ATC to Connex. In October 2005, the company agreed to buy most of the operations of privately owned Spanish transport operator ALSA , which operates bus and coach services in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and long-distance coach services to other parts of Europe. Alsa's operations in South America and China were retained by
10812-476: Was sold to the public Port Authority of New York and New Jersey . Australian bus companies previously operated: In 1999, the Group gained the Australian franchises M>Train , M>Tram and V/Line Passenger , following the privatisation of rail and tram services by the Government of Victoria . After incurring large losses and being unable to renegotiate the franchise contracts, the operations were handed back to
10918-461: Was successful. The deadline for offers was subsequently extended to 16 October 2009. On 16 October 2009, the Cosmen/CVC consortium announced that they had withdrawn their offer. That same day, Stagecoach submitted its own all-share bid to acquire National Express. This, too, did not proceed and, in November 2009, National Express announced it would raise the necessary capital through a share issue. During February 2013, National Express Germany
11024-420: Was to cease offering day trips and holiday excursions in October 2023. In June 2023, National Express changed its name to Mobico Group. In August 2024, Mobico announced that they had begun the process of selling its North American school bus division, including Durham School Services , in order to reduce its debt. National Express' operations are summarised below: The bus and coach services operated by
11130-501: Was to replace all the Mark 1 slam-door stock, resulting in Southern ordering 28 three-car DC, 139 four-car DC and 15 four-car dual-voltage Class 377 Electrostars in September 2001 and March 2002 to replace the Class 421, Class 422 and Class 423s. In August 2002, Southern ordered nine two-car and six four-car Class 171 Turbostars to replace the Class 205s and Class 207s on the routes that are not fully electrified. A tenth two-car Class 171
11236-698: Was transferred from South West Trains , entering traffic in July 2007. In 2007, Southern ordered 12 four-car, dual-voltage Class 377/5 Electrostars to replace the remaining twelve Class 319s for transfer to First Capital Connect . In March 2008 Go Ahead purchased a further 11 Class 377/5s. All 23 ended up being sublet to First Capital Connect to provide extra stock for the Thameslink Programme Key Output Zero changes from March 2009. However, due to delays in their production, Class 377/2s were also sublet. To cover for this, Class 350/1s were subleased from London Midland . To provide stock for
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