There is news today (Thursday January 26) that the Department for Transport (DfT) might take back the franchise from Southern Rail within the next few weeks and operate it on a temporary basis as a nationalised railway, before returning it to a different operator.
There is a precedent for this. A few years ago the Government took over the East Coast main line service, although in that case the problem was with the financial viability with the operating company rather than the quality of service – which was generally regarded as satisfactory.
In the case of Southern, the DfT will have the problem of first bringing the service up to a quality that the travelling public might find acceptable and also coming to an accommodation with the Unions without being seen to capitulate to them. Is this possible? Certainly, there is no doubt that any DfT initiative and probably a new operator, would, initially at least, have the goodwill of the public and even the undoubted militancy of some parties within the Unions might well be tempered if a new arrangement is put in place.
It is believed that several options are currently being considered. These could include bringing the whole Govia Thameslink franchise in-house with officials responsible for the efficiency of everyday operations, or splitting Southern away from the rest of GTR as part of a managed exit until a new operator is found. According to Rail Business Intelligence magazine these plans have even reached the stage of locating an interim managing director while under DfT control.
However, as regular Southern users are well aware, nothing is certain on this railway but many will doubtless consider that any change has to be better than a continuation of the status quo.
Photo: Library image
I hope this is all straightened out soon. Disruptions in public transportation are to no one’s benefit. We will be visiting in early September and we hope all is right by you well before then. This really is unacceptable!
My wife and I have visited Rye several times over the years to enjoy a holiday there. We don’t have a car so the train is an essential way for us to get to Rye. We certainly have been put off visiting recently because of all the problems with Southern Rail. It would be a pity if the town of Rye was to suffer because of the problems which have nothing to do with it.