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Govia wins Thameslink rail franchise Govia wins Thameslink rail franchise
(35 minutes later)
The franchise to run the expanded Thameslink rail network has been awarded to Govia Thameslink. The franchise to run the expanded Thameslink rail network has been awarded to Govia Thameslink, a company majority-owned by Go-Ahead.
The new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise will run for seven years from this September.The new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise will run for seven years from this September.
The government said the franchise would open new routes across London and improve commuter services into the capital. The rail franchise is the largest in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue, and staff.
It added that nearly 1,400 extra carriages would be supplied by the end of 2018 as part of the franchise. The government said the franchise would open new routes across London and improve commuter services.
It added that nearly 1,400 extra carriages would be supplied by the end of 2018, increasing capacity by 50% during the peak morning rush-hour into central London.
Investment
The newly-created TSGN franchise replaces the existing Thameslink and Great Northern franchise - more familiar to passengers as First Capital Connect - and the South Central franchise, which includes Southern and Gatwick Espress services.
Govia already runs Southern Railways, London Midland and South Eastern train services, and previously ran Thameslink between March 1997 and March 2006.
First Group, which has been running Thameslink services since 2006, had also bid for the franchise.
The government said the TSGN franchise would form a key part in delivering its £6.5bn Thameslink investment programme.
Up to 24 trains per hour will travel in each direction along the Thameslink route after the investment programme is completed.
New tunnels will link Peterborough and Cambridge to the existing Thameslink route, providing greater access across London via St Pancras to Gatwick and Brighton.
Services to destinations along the Thameslink route including Brighton, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, Cambridge, and Gatwick Airport will be improved.
A small number of services and stations will also transfer from the Govia's South Eastern franchise into the new TSGN franchise in December 2014.
TSGN will include the introduction of new cross capital services and a connection at Farringdon to the new Crossrail service.
'Symbolic' moment
The Department for Transport said Govia would invest significantly in improving station facilities including free wi-fi at more than 100 stations, better retail and catering facilities and improvements to customer information systems.
Staffing hours will also be extended so that at more than 100 of the largest stations there will have staff available from the first train in the morning to the last train at night.
David Leam, head of infrastructure at business group London First, said the new franchise would greatly improve journeys on key north-south routes across London.
He added: "As the first franchise let since the West Coast Mainline debacle this is also an important moment symbolically for the government.
"Passengers and taxpayers have suffered as a result of the delayed franchising programme so it's good news all round that it's now back on track."