Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken to ensure adequate staffing levels on GTR services during peak commuting hours.

The Department works closely with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to make sure it has the right number of staff to run a reliable service. With the support of the Department, GTR is increasing the number of Thameslink and Great Northern train drivers by 75 this year, and by 40 for Southern & Gatwick Express. This programme has supported a 70 per cent reduction in the number of trains cancelled due to traincrew related reasons across the Thameslink & Great Northern network over the first eight months of this year compared to 2025, and 75 per cent for the peak time Thameslink service between East Grinstead and London.

The level of traincrew related cancellations across Southern services remains consistently low. For example, in the latest reporting period (ending on 22 August), only five of the 2,919 services on the East Grinstead and Uckfield lines were cancelled for traincrew-related reasons, representing fewer than 0.2 per cent of services.