Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) /ɡoʊˈvaɪ.ə ˈtɛmzlɪŋk/ 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.[1]

This article is about the current train operating company. For other uses of the name, see Thameslink (disambiguation).

Govia Thameslink Railway

A Thameslink Class 700 at St Mary Cray in 2017
Overview
Franchise(s)	Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern 14 Sep 2014 – September 2021
Main region(s)	South East England, Greater London, East Anglia
Stations operated	238
Parent company	Govia (Go-Ahead Group) (65%) Keolis (35%)
Reporting mark	GN, GX, SN, TL
Other
Website	www.govia.info

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).[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] In September 2013 a revised invitation to tender was issued.[6] Govia Thameslink Railway was awarded the franchise on 23 May 2014.[7][8]

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.[9][10]

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.[1] 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.[11][12]

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.[13][14][15] 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.[16] On 15 July 2016, Rail Minister Claire Perry resigned.[17]

Thameslink and Great Northern services

A vector 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.[18]

Thameslink service pattern

The published Thameslink off-peak service pattern as of May 2020, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes:[19]

London Bridge routes
Route	tph	Calling at	Stock
Cambridge to Brighton	2	Royston, Ashwell and Morden (1tph), Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Stevenage, Finsbury Park, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Balcombe, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill	700
Cambridge to London King's Cross[lower-alpha 1]	2	Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Royston, Ashwell and Morden, Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Stevenage, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Potters Bar, Finsbury Park[lower-alpha 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	Flitwick, Harlington, Leagrave, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, Harpenden, St Albans City, West Hampstead Thameslink, London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Burgess Hill, Hassocks, Preston Park
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

1. To be extended to/from Maidstone East by 2021.
2. Once extended to/from Maidstone East, these services will call additionally at: London St Pancras International (in lieu of London King's Cross), Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, Swanley, Otford, Borough Green & Wrotham and West Malling(The route is yet to be confirmed).

During peak hours, additional services run, including to East Grinstead[20] and Littlehampton[21].

Great Northern service pattern

Great Northern Class 365 at King's Cross

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.[22]

The Great Northern off-peak service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), consists of the following:[23]

Cambridge express & Fen line
Route	tph	Calling at	Stock
London King's Cross to Ely	1	Cambridge, Cambridge North	365 or 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
London Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City	4	Old Street, Essex Road, Highbury & Islington, Drayton Park, Finsbury Park, Harringay (2tph), Hornsey (2tph), Alexandra Palace, New Southgate, Oakleigh Park, New Barnet, Hadley Wood, Potters Bar, Brookmans Park (2tph), Welham Green (2tph), Hatfield Harringay, Hornsey, Brookmans Park and Welham Green are served by the same trains.	717
London Moorgate to Hertford North	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, Crews Hill, Cuffley, Bayford
London 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.

Airport Rail Link

Gatwick Express
Route	tph	Calling at	Stock
London Victoria to Brighton	2	Gatwick Airport[24]	387

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:[25]

Brighton Mainline
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
London Victoria to Littlehampton	2	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Hassocks, Preston Park, Hove, Portslade, Shoreham-by-Sea, Lancing (1tph), Worthing, West Worthing, Durrington-on-Sea, Goring-by-Sea, Angmering		377
London Victoria to Eastbourne	1	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Cooksbridge, Lewes, Polegate, Hampden Park		377
London Victoria to Ore	1	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Plumpton, Lewes, Polegate, Eastbourne, Hampden Park, Pevensey & Westham, Cooden Beach, Collington, Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings Trains reverse at Eastbourne, and only call at Hampden Park once.		377
London Victoria to Brighton	2	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath		377
Arun Valley
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
London Victoria to Southampton Central and Bognor Regis via Crawley	1	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Crawley, Horsham The two portions divide/attach at Horsham.		377
		Southampton Central portion: Barnham, Chichester, Southbourne, Emsworth, Havant, Cosham, Portchester, Fareham, Swanwick	Bognor Regis portion: Christ's Hospital, Billingshurst, Pulborough, Amberley, Arundel, Ford, Barnham
London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour 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 Harbour portion: Barnham, Chichester, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea	Bognor Regis portion: Billingshurst, Pulborough, Arundel, Ford, Barnham
Coastway East
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
Brighton to Lewes	2	London Road, Moulsecoomb, Falmer		313
Brighton to Seaford	2	London Road, Moulsecoomb, Falmer, Lewes, Southease (1tph), Newhaven Town, Newhaven Harbour, Bishopstone		313
Brighton to Hastings	1	Moulsecoomb, Falmer, Lewes, Berwick, Polegate, Hampden Park, Eastbourne, Hampden Park (Brighton-bound only), Pevensey & Westham (Brighton-bound only), Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square Trains reverse at Eastbourne. Trains call at Hampden Park once towards Hastings but twice towards Brighton.		377 or 387
Brighton to Ore	1	Falmer, Lewes, Glynde, Polegate, Eastbourne, Hampden Park (Ore-bound only), Pevensey & Westham (Ore-bound only), Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings Trains reverse at Eastbourne. Trains call at Hampden Park once, towards Ore only.		377 or 387
Eastbourne to 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 to Hove	2			313
Brighton to West Worthing	2	Hove, Aldrington, Portslade, Fishersgate, Southwick, Shoreham-by-Sea, Lancing, East Worthing, Worthing		313
Brighton to Southampton Central	1	Hove, Portslade, Southwick, Shoreham-by-Sea, Lancing, Worthing, West Worthing, Durrington-on-Sea, Goring-by-Sea, Angmering, Ford, Barnham, Chichester, Emsworth, Havant, Cosham, Fareham, Swanwick		377
Brighton to Portsmouth Harbour	1	Hove, Portslade, Southwick, Shoreham-by-Sea, Lancing, Worthing, Angmering, Barnham, Chichester, Southbourne, Emsworth, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea		377
Littlehampton to Portsmouth & Southsea	1	Ford, Barnham, Chichester, Fishbourne, Bosham, Nutbourne, Southbourne, Emsworth, Warblington, Havant, Bedhampton, Hilsea, Fratton		313
Littlehampton to Bognor Regis	1	Ford, Barnham		313
Barnham to Bognor Regis	1			313
Oxted
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
London Victoria to East Grinstead	2	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Sanderstead, Riddlesdown, Upper Warlingham, Woldingham, Oxted, Hurst Green, Lingfield, Dormans		377
London Bridge to Uckfield	1	East Croydon, Oxted, Hurst Green, Edenbridge Town, Hever, Cowden, Ashurst, Eridge, Crowborough, Buxted		171
Redhill
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
London Victoria to Reigate	2	Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Purley, Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill		377
Redhill to Tonbridge	1	Nutfield, Godstone, Edenbridge, Penshurst, Leigh		377
West London
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
Milton Keynes Central to East Croydon	1	Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard, Tring, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction, Harrow & Wealdstone, Wembley Central, Shepherd's Bush, Kensington (Olympia), West Brompton, Imperial Wharf, Clapham Junction, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst		377
Metro
Route	tph	Calling at		Stock
London Victoria to Dorking (and Horsham) via Carshalton	2	Clapham Junction, Carshalton, Sutton, Cheam, Epsom, Ashtead, Leatherhead, Box Hill & Westhumble (1tph); 1tph extended to/from Horsham, calling at Holmwood, Ockley and Warnham Box Hill & Westhumble is served by trains to/from Horsham.		377
London Victoria to Epsom via Carshalton	2	Clapham Junction, Balham, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Hackbridge, Carshalton, Sutton, Cheam, Ewell East		377
London Victoria to 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 or 455
London Victoria to 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 to 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 to London Victoria via Sydenham	2	New Cross Gate, Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Crystal Palace Services continue to London Victoria via Gipsy Hill (see above).		377
London Bridge to 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 to Epsom	2	Norwood Junction, West Croydon, Waddon, Wallington, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton, Cheam, Ewell East		377
London Bridge to 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 to 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		455
London Bridge to 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		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.[26]

Govia plans to invest £50m in all 239 stations it will manage. It plans to:[27]

• 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:[28]

• Half-hourly King's Lynn to London services
• Direct Peterborough, Cambridge, Welwyn Garden City and Finsbury Park to Tattenham Corner, Caterham, Horsham services.[29]
• 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[30]
• Class 387 Electrostars for King's Lynn express services, releasing Class 317s, 321s and some Class 365s for newly electrified routes elsewhere.[31]
• Creating an Alliance arrangement with Network Rail in 2016, like South West Trains.[32]

Rolling stock

Interior of a Thameslink Class 700

Interior of a Great Northern Class 387 having been moved over from the Southern brand with its 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.[33] 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.[34] 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,[35] and Hornsey depot was extended northwards and had several new buildings added in 2016.[36]

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.[6][37] 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.[38] 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.[39][40]

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[26] 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.[41][42] They were designated as the Class 717 in June 2016, and are currently being introduced since September 2018.[43][44]

Current fleet

Trainset	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Cars	Number	Routes operated	Built
				mph	km/h
Southern
Bombardier Turbostar	171		DMU	100	161	2	12	Oxted line (Uckfield branch) Marshlink line	2003–04
						4	8
	313		EMU	75	120	3	19	West Coastway line East Coastway line	1976–77
Bombardier Electrostar	377		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		EMU	75	120	4	46	Metro and commuter services from London Victoria and London Bridge	1982–84
Gatwick Express
Bombardier Electrostar	387/2		EMU	110	177	4	27	Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport / Brighton	2015–16
Great Northern
Networker	365 Networker Express		EMU	100	161	4	21	Express services between London King's Cross and Peterborough / Ely / King's Lynn	1994–95
Bombardier Electrostar	387		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[44]		EMU	85	137	6	25	Northern City Line: Services between London Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City / Hertford North / Watton-at-Stone	2018–19
Thameslink
Siemens Desiro	700/0 & 700/1 Desiro City		EMU	100	161	8	60	All Thameslink services	2015–18
						12	55

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
313		EMU	75	121	3	44	1976-77	Northern City Line	2019	Scrapped and replaced with Class 717
317		EMU	100	161	4	12	1981–82	Express services between London King's Cross and Peterborough / Ely / King's Lynn	2017	Greater Anglia
319		EMU	100	161	4	86	1987–88	All Thameslink services	2015–17	Arriva Rail North, London Midland or stored Majority in the process of being converted to Class 769 bi mode units
321		EMU	100	161	4	13	1989–90	Express services between London King's Cross and Peterborough / Ely / King's Lynn	2016	Greater Anglia, Abellio ScotRail (converted to Class 320/4s)
377 Electrostar						26	2008–09	Some Thameslink services	2017	Southeastern and Southern

Driver depots

Driver depots are located across the network at;[45]

Thameslink

• Bedford
• Brighton
• Cricklewood
• Orpington
• Gillingham
• Three Bridges
• Luton
• Horsham
• St Albans

Great Northern

• Cambridge
• Hitchin
• King's Lynn
• London King's Cross
• Peterborough
• Hornsey
• Welwyn Garden City

Performance

Govia and Thameslink passenger numbers 2010/11 to 2018/19 Q4, annual rolling average[46][47]

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 (Southern were in bottom place, but had been subject huge disruption due to industrial action).[48]

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.[47]

References

1. Topham, Gwyn (23 May 2014). "FirstGroup loses Thameslink franchise to Go-Ahead joint venture". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
2. "Consultation on the combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise". Department for Transport. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
3. "Expanding and improving the rail network". Department for Transport. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
4. Rail franchising future programme. Department for Transport. 31 January 2013.
5. "Railway plan puts new focus on passengers". Secretary of State for Transport statement 26 March 2013.
6. Thameslink Southern & Great Northern Invitation to Tender. Department for Transport. 26 September 2013.
7. "Govia chosen for new Thameslink contract". Railnews. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
8. "Govia wins TSGN franchise, beating FirstGroup". Rail Technology. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
9. "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.
10. "Govia wins Thameslink rail franchise". BBC News Online. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
11. Ben James (18 June 2016). "Fines issued to rail provider GTR for poor performance slammed". The Argus. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
12. 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.
13. "Thameslink woes hit Go-Ahead shares". BBC News. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
14. 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.
15. Joseph Watts (17 June 2016). "Govia Thameslink Railway boss refuses to defend CEO £2m pay". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
16. Gwyn Topham, Matthew Weaver (12 July 2016). "Take Southern rail franchise off operator, urges Sadiq Khan". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
17. "Rail minister Claire Perry resigns". BBC News. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
18. "Thameslink: Train Timetables". June 2018.
19. 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)
20. Table 182 National Rail timetable, May 2020
21. Table 188 National Rail timetable, May 2020
22. Train Routes - Great Northern
23. Table 24 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (commuter services)
    Table 25 National Rail timetable, May 2020 (regional services)
24. Table 184 National Rail timetable, May 2020
25. 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)
26. Topham, Gwyn (23 May 2014). "FirstGroup loses Thameslink franchise to Go-Ahead joint venture". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
27. "Govia awarded TSGN franchise" (Press release). Govia. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
28. "TSGN". Govia. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
29. "Proposed Thameslink service pattern" (PDF). Thameslink Programme. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
30. "Easier journeys and better information". Govia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
31. "New Trains". Govia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
32. "More reliable and faster services". Govia. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
33. "Siemens beats Bombardier to Thameslink train order". BBC News. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
34. Millward, David (13 June 2013). "Bombardier blow as Siemens wins £1.6bn Thameslink deal". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
35. "Three Bridges depot opens its doors". VolkerFitzpatrick. VolkerFitzpatrick. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
36. "Modernised depot to transform Great Northern rail services". VolkerFitzpatrick. VolkerFitzpatrick. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
37. "Bombardier to manufacture 116 new train carriages for Thameslink rolling stock cascade" (Press release). Southern. 17 July 2013.
38. First Great Western plans AT300s to Cornwall Railway Gazette 23 March 2015
39. "Rail Magazine" 10 June 2016
40. "Rail Magazine" 8 June 2016
41. "Siemens selected to supply Moorgate suburban EMU fleet". Railway Gazette. London. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
42. Clinnick, Richard (22 December 2015). "Siemens favoured for new GN trains". Rail. Peterborough. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
43. "New Great Northern Class 717 carries first passengers". Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
44. "New Govia Thameslink Railway trains to be Class 717s". RAIL magazine. RAIL magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
45. "Train operating company driver's depots on the Traindriver.org website". September 2017.
46. "Passenger numbers by TOC".
47. "GTR Key Stats".
48. "Best and worst UK train companies". Which?.

Notes

External links

Media related to Govia Thameslink Railway at Wikimedia Commons

• Thameslink website
• Great Northern website
• Southern website
• Gatwick Express website

Preceded by First Capital Connect Thameslink and Great Northern franchise	Operator of Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise 2014/2015 – 2021	Incumbent
Preceded by Southern South Central franchise