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[email protected] · December 14th 15, 12:47 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

On Sun, 13 Dec 2015 14:24:31 +0000, e27002 aurora
wrote:

The Southern, Thameslink, GN
conglomerate clearly is not off to a good start.

Well that's an understatement if ever I read one. Govia breached
their franchise within months of taking over. Southern's inner
commuter services have been a disaster partly exacerbated by the
problems at London Bridge.

Thameslink still doesn't work reliably even with a reduced service
level to reflect the impact of project works. And now we have a
complete failure to plan for the new Great Northern timetable and a
disastrous Sunday service.

Goodness knows what's in stock tomorrow with the new timetable
structure on Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink. You can
guarantee the media will be watching what's going on.

The only reason why most of this is not being publicised is because
this is a management contract with the DfT having a much enhanced role
than is usual because they're taking the revenue risk. Govia have no
great reason to do very much because they don't have their hands on
the fares revenue. Clearly they don't want to go bankrupt off the
back of appalling contract performance *but* would DfT ever kick them
off the contract given how long it would take to find a replacement?
You have to ask who would be interested in taking on what looks like a
mini disaster zone with an awful lot more risk and difficulties to
come as new trains and new services have to be introduced.

DOR would need to operate on an unprecedented scale, certainly.

No wonder the DfT have apparently concluded that "some franchises are
too large" (source - Mike Brown of TfL speaking to the London
Assembly last week).

It doesn't look good for the Thameslink programme implementation does it?

--
Colin Rosenstiel