Govia Thameslink Railway will be returned to the public sector at 02.00 on Sunday, in the next stage of the government’s renationalisation programme.
The Department for Transport said the changeover would mean that eight out of 10 journeys would then be provided by public operators, with only Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, East Midlands Railway, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry remaining in the private sector for the time being.
Following the termination of Govia’s Thameslink contract, the number of trains to Gatwick Airport will be doubled. The DfT said more drivers would also be recruited and 110 Travel Safe officers will be trained, while there will be more Great Northern services from December.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said there were plans for the first 100 days. She continued: ‘From this Sunday, millions of passengers across the South East and East of England will be travelling on rail services back in public hands – run for the public good, not private profit.
‘Bringing Britain’s largest train operator into public ownership is a defining moment in our reform of the railway. It gives us an opportunity to tackle the bread and butter issues people want, like driving down cancellations and improving the frequency of services to Gatwick Airport.
‘As we set up Great British Railways, we’re putting passengers first, fixing what’s broken, and delivering a railway people can rely on – one that rebuilds trust, regenerates communities and delivers the high standards passengers expect and deserve.’
GTR chief operating officer John Whitehurst said: ‘This is a railway that carries millions of people to work, to school, and to see friends and family every single day. From this Sunday every one of them will be on a publicly owned service, which is a responsibility we take seriously and one we have been preparing for.
‘We have spent the past year building the foundations, and bringing even deeper integration into our operations with Network Rail, with a single focus on what's right for our customers and communities.’
The next operator to be renationalised will be Chiltern Railways on 20 September, followed by Great Western Railway on 13 December.
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