Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial and other penalties have been incurred under the terms of the franchise agreement by the train operator Govia for poor performance by Southern Rail over the last eighteen months; and what percentage of the money paid to Southern Rail to operate the service those financial and other penalties represent.

The money paid to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to operate their services and their performance incentive regime cover the entire franchise, there are no separate accounts or performance regimes for Southern.

We have not settled GTR’s performance incentive regime for the first full year of Southern’s operation due to the ongoing Force Majeure claim. This is a complex claim to analyse and the process is still ongoing. We are currently discussing the claim with GTR and considering the points made by them before making our determination.