Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons his Department allowed Govia Thameslink to pay £5 million to settle its obligations for two years up to September 2018; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of that decision on incentivising that train operator to improve its performance since that decision was made.

The Secretary of State agreed a Remedial Plan with GTR setting out its interim performance regime to deliver improved performance for the two years up to September 2018. Those improvements in performance were being delivered up to the date of the May 2018 timetable change.

The Secretary of State has made clear that the level of service since the May 2018 timetable change is not acceptable and has commissioned a review which will assess whether GTR met its contractual obligations in the planning and delivery of this timetable change.