Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will continue to operate the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern rail services, having been awarded a new contract by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT).

A subsidiary of public transport operator Go-Ahead, GTR has been operating this, the UK’s largest railway network, since 2014.

A Southern train passes over Ouse Valley Viaduct

This new national rail contract (NRC) replaces an Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA) and serves as a bridge to the future passenger services contracts intended to be let and managed by Great British Railways in line with the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

It begins on 1 April and will run until at least 2025, with the possibility of up to a further three years.

In delivering this contract GTR will be awarded an annual fixed management fee of 8.8 million GBP (10.53m euros | 11.6m USD), with an additional performance fee of up to 22.9m GBP (27.41m euros | 30.19m USD) per year.

The contract also allows for individual project fees to be earned by GTR on the delivery of additional DfT initiatives.

During the NRC period, GTR will focus on encouraging more people to return to rail following the pandemic and improving the experience for travellers, with dedicated funds available for localised station enhancements including improved accessibility and for customer and community-led projects.

Focusing on the decarbonisation of rail, GTR plans to introduce its first zero emission ancillary vehicles in the next 12 months and is working towards phasing out its entire diesel fleet by 2035.

source= https://railway-news.com/govia-thameslink-railway-awarded-national-rail-contract-following-erma/