Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has completed its hard review of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise; and if he will make statement.

The Department has concluded that the disruption on this network was caused by a series of mistakes and complex issues across the rail industry. This is in line with Professor Stephen Glaister’s interim report.

The Government is holding GTR to account for their role in the unacceptable performance following the introduction of the May timetable. To this end, GTR will make no profit from its franchise in this financial year. Looking ahead, we have also capped the amount of profit that the operator is able to make for the remainder of its franchise, which is due to expire in September 2021.

Furthermore, GTR will be contributing £15m towards tangible improvements for passengers. This is in addition to the £15m the operator has already contributed towards compensation for passengers since the May timetable disruption.