Govia Thameslink Railway
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| Predecessors | First Capital Connect & Southern |
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| Founded | 14 September 2014 |
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Area served
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South East England, Greater London, East Anglia |
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Key people
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Charles Horton, Chief Executive |
| Parent | Govia (Go-Ahead Group (65%), Keolis (35%)) |
| Website | www |
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) /ɡoʊˈvaɪ.ə ˈtɛmzlɪŋk/ is a train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise in England. Within the franchise, GTR runs the Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express airport services.
GTR is a subsidiary of Govia, which is itself a joint venture between the British Go-Ahead Group (65%) and French company Keolis (35%).
The company was awarded the TSGN franchise in May 2014, under a new contract whereby the Department for Transport will pay GTR £8.9 billion over the seven years and receive all revenue. It began operating services under the Thameslink and Great Northern brands in September 2014. Southern and Gatwick Express became part of GTR in July 2015, making it the largest rail franchise in terms of passengers, staff and fleet in the UK.
The franchise has an unusual structure: it is a management contract where fare income does not go to GTR. Instead GTR is paid a fee for operating the service, and consequently the company carries less revenue risk. This form of franchise was chosen because of long-term engineering works anticipated around London, which would be a significant challenge to organise within the normal form of franchise.
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Wikipedia