Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the force majeure claims from Govia Thameslink Railway for the current franchise agreement for Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern passenger services have been expedited by his Department; and for what periods those claims apply.

Since the start of the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise, nine Force Majeure Events have occurred. These events occurred during the following periods: January, February, July, September, October and December 2015, January, February 2016 and May 2016 to March 2017.

The claims for seven of these events have been assessed, the remaining events, including that relating to official and unofficial action by train crew on Southern are currently being assessed. The Force Majeure claim for official and unofficial action by train crew on Southern is extremely large and complex. The Department are finalising the assessment of the claim and will be informing GTR in due course.