Report into Southern Rail contract failures to moot possible break-up of deal, claims The Times

Contract to re-focus on rush-hour capacity?

Contract to re-focus on rush-hour capacity?

A report ordered by the DfT into problems at Southern Rail is set to suggest moving some services to other operators as part of moves to encourage the rail firm to focus on increasing capacity on peak-time commuter routes, according to The Times.

The article by the newspaper, on the report the DfT has received but yet to publish, claims that the report by Chris Gibbs will recommend steps to reduce the size of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise while criticising timetabling, with "empty trains running in the middle of the night while the operator fails to provide rush-hour capacity". However, it would stop short of spiking the GTR franchise, covering services from Milton Keynes and Peterborough to south London and Sussex and Kent - altogether, as delays and strikes continue. The DfT commented that it would "publish [the report] in due course".

The DfT last month invited the private sector to come forward with ideas on how capacity on the South Eastern franchise could be boosted (LTT 718 17 - 30 March), a challenge the transport secretary said could that the Mayor of London could not rise to, given available funding.