UK ministers are considering taking direct control of the rail franchise that includes Southern rail, according to the press, after almost two years of disruption and delays of services.
The Department of Transport is considering options ranging from splitting off Southern from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), to a complete “managed exit” to take direct control of the entire franchise until a new contract could be attributed.
The Department of Transport is still considering the question of whether GTR was in breach of its franchise commitments, by failing to run adequate services. Even if GTR was found to be in breach of the franchise commitments, it would not necessarily lose the contract, according to rail minister Paul Maynard. A spokesman for the transport department said there were no plans to strip GTR of its franchise.
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