Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway

Predecessors	First Capital Connect & Southern
Founded	14 September 2014
Area served	South East England, Greater London, East Anglia
Key people	Charles Horton, Chief Executive
Parent	Govia (Go-Ahead Group (65%), Keolis (35%))
Website	www.gtrailway.com

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

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is a train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise. Within the franchise, GTR runs the Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express airport services.

The company was awarded the TSGN franchise in May 2014, under a new contract whereby the Department for Transport will pay GTR £8.9 billion over the seven years and receive all revenue. It began operating services under the Thameslink and Great Northern brands in September 2014. 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.

GTR is a subsidiary of Govia, which is itself a joint venture between Go-Ahead Group (65%) and Keolis (35%).

Thameslink and Great Northern services

Great Northern Class 365 at King's Cross

Main articles: Thameslink and Great Northern, 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 Moorgate in London. Destinations include Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn.

Southern and Gatwick Express services

File:Watford Junction railway station MMB 06 377212.jpg

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 like 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 2009, Southern has operated the Gatwick Express service running from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport.

External links

• Official website

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