Yesterday, Sunday, 31st May, train services operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which includes those operating as Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express, were transferred into public ownership.
Instead of being privately owned, GTR services will now be operated by DfT Operator Limited (DFTO), which is the department that now owns the railways, and is the government’s partner for delivering its Public Ownership Programme.
Until the formation of Great British Railways (GBR) is complete, the DFTO will be responsible for bringing into public ownership all railways and train operators currently managed by the Department for Transport or privately owned.
With the absorption of GTR into public ownership, 80 per cent of passenger train services that will eventually come under the auspices of Great British Railways are now being operated by publicly owned operators under DFTO.
With public ownership, the impetus behind the creation of Great British Railways, its focus is on improving the service to passengers.
One of the main drivers behind the creation of Great British Railways is to bring together public-sector train operators and Network Rail so they can work together as Great British Railways to improve performance and customer experience.
Common ownership will also provide the opportunity to reduce subsidies and improve safety and sustainability.
Other railways in public ownership include South Western Railway, which recently celebrated its first anniversary under DFTO.
Responses
Seems strange to use the name Great British Railways given both Welsh ard Scottish based serviices run under the Transport for Wales and Scotrail brands
Hopefully going to be a good clear out of duplicate roles and responsibilities in the industry as a whole. Clearly it is Management top-heavy…just how many people with the word “Director” in their job title does the industry need ?
As TSGN (Greater Thameslink Railway) have been nationalised to be part of Great British Railways. Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, East Midlands Railway, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry will also be absorbed to become part of GBR throughout this year and next year onwards.
As we saw South Western Railway, Northern, Transpennine Express, Greater Anglia, c2c, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains already been nationalised as part of Great British Railways.
And LNER as well.
GBR focus is on improving the service to passengers is an oxymoron. One franchise back in Government hands is already running filthy dirty trains. Didn’t take long for the don’t give a damn about passengers’, now we are on a gravy train brigade. How long until we have a replay of nationalisation, including the stench of urine in carriages?