A MAJOR rail operator has awarded a contract by the government to continue running the main train services across the country.
The Go-Ahead Group has today announced that the Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded a National Rail Contract to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).
This means that GTR can continue operating the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern rail services, the UK’s largest railway network.
The new contract commences on April 1, 2022 and will run until at least April 1, 2025.
Patrick Verwer, GTR CEO, said: “We welcome this positive news, which marks the start of a new era for GTR.
“I’m incredibly proud of how far we have come, including overcoming two challenging years dominated by Covid.
“All of this is thanks to the continued focus and passion that GTR colleagues bring to work every day.
“I'm delighted that GTR's long-standing experience in running the UK's largest train network, our focus on improving the customer experience and our strong local community relationships have been recognised.
“This new agreement means we can continue to build on what we have achieved to date as we focus on welcoming more people back to the railway.”
GTR will earn a fixed management fee of £8.8m per annum to deliver the contract, with an additional performance fee of up to £22.9m per annum.
The contract also allows for individual project fees to be earned by GTR on the delivery of additional initiatives as directed by the DfT.
Since 2014, GTR has operated Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, which delivered 349 million passenger journeys annually before the pandemic.
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It also manages 235 stations in London and the south-east of England and employs 7,400 people.
Go-Ahead’s subsidiary, Govia has operated GTR since it was created in 2014.
Christian Schreyer, Go-Ahead CEO, said: “I’m delighted with today’s announcement.
“Under this new contract we will build on our achievements in enhancing performance in recent years.
“We will be working closely and collaboratively with DfT, NR and other partners to run the most reliable service possible, and we will be putting passengers’ interests first.
“A top priority is to build passenger numbers back after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Go-Ahead will bring commercial acumen and international experience to bear in encouraging people back to the railways.”
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