Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 12:34, 25 May 2012
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Overview | |||
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Franchise(s) | South Central October 2000 – 20 September 2009 Gatwick Express 22 June 2008 – 20 September 2009 South Central (inc. Gatwick Express) 20 September 2009 – 24 July 2015 | ||
Main Region(s) | London, West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey | ||
Other Region(s) | Hampshire, Kent, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire | ||
Fleet size | 297 | ||
Stations called at | 213 | ||
Stations operated | 161 | ||
Parent company | Govia (Go-Ahead Group / Keolis) | ||
Reporting mark | SN | ||
Other | |||
Website | www.southernrailway.com | ||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Brighton_railway_station_-_Sussex_-_England_-_140804.jpg/220px-Brighton_railway_station_-_Sussex_-_England_-_140804.jpg)
Southern (up to 2004 branded as SouthCentral) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd.,[1] it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service since 22 June 2008.
The company operates train services to South London, Surrey and Sussex from London Victoria and London Bridge, alongside regional services on the East and West Coastway lines from Brighton. Southern also operates a service from South Croydon to Milton Keynes Central via west London.
History
Govia, which also operates the neighbouring Southeastern franchise and London Midland services in the West Midlands, was first awarded the South Central rail franchise in 2000 after the then incumbent operator, Connex South Central, was stripped of the franchise for poor management and performance.[2]
Upon assuming control, the company operated the service under the branding SouthCentral until 30 May 2004, when, in a deliberate recall of the pre-nationalisation Southern Railway, the service was rebranded as Southern, with a green roundel logo with ‘Southern’ written in yellow in a green bar.
On 22 June 2008, Southern assumed responsibility for the non-stop Gatwick Express between Victoria and Gatwick Airport from National Express Group, and from December 2008 extended the service to Brighton during peak times.[3] The company then, in December 2008, took over the running of services between Redhill and Tonbridge from Southeastern.
Despite originally being awarded a 20 year franchise for the service,[2] the South Central franchise end date was brought forward to December 2009, a date which was further cut to September 2009 upon the integration of the Gatwick Express service, in order to allow the new operator to be in place during "major changes" to the timetable in and around South London in December 2009.[4] In the run up to the bidding process for the South Central/Gatwick Express combined franchise, reports emerged suggesting that Transport for London, the operator of the London Overground service, wished to take control of all overground services in South London, including the 'Metro' area of the South Central franchise,[5][6] however such a transfer never took place and the entire franchise was put forward for tender by the Department for Transport.
The bidding process for the new franchise began in May 2008, when expressions of interest were sought, with the process formally beginning on 20 August 2008 when the DfT announced[7] that Govia were one of the four shortlisted bidders for the franchise and would face competition from NedRailways Limited, the National Express Group, and the Stagecoach Group.[8]
The Department for Transport announced on 9 June 2009 that Govia had retained the franchise, and would operate the service until 2015, with the possibility of extending the franchise until 2017.[9] On 28 December 2011, the Department announced that the Southern franchise would be absorbed into the next Thameslink franchise in July 2015.[10]
Routes
Details of each route, including maps and timetables, are on Southern’s website (see External links, below). Its routes off peak Monday to Saturday, with frequencies in off-peak trains per hour, include:
Performance
Punctuality figures released by the ORR for the fourth quarter of the 2010/11 financial year were PPM of 90.1% and MAA of 89.6%.[12]
On-train announcements
Southern use on-train announcements on all services operated by Classes: 171, 313, 377, 442, 455 and 456. These announcements are automated and are voiced by Julie Berry (who also announces on Southeastern, Heathrow Connect, c2c, London Midland, National Express, Merseyrail, First Capital Connect and the Piccadilly line).
Rolling stock
Current fleet
Class ! rowspan="2" |Image | Type | Top speed ! rowspan="2" | Number ! rowspan="2" | Cars per set ! rowspan="2" | Routes operated ! rowspan="2" | Built |----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9 | - | Class 73 | electro-diesel locomotive | 90 | 145 | 1[13] | 1 | Thunderbird locomotive | 1965–1967 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class 171 Turbostar | ![]() |
diesel multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 16 | 2/4 | Oxted Line (Uckfield branch) Marshlink Line |
2003–2004 | |||||
Class 313 | ![]() |
electric multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 19 | 3 | West Coastway Line: Brighton – Hove/West Worthing/Portsmouth Harbour and Littlehampton – Barnham/Bognor Regis/Portsmouth & Southsea East Coastway Line: Brighton – Lewes/Seaford Also operate services between Brighton and Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Eastbourne during peak hours. |
1976–1977 | |||||
Class 377 Electrostar | ![]() |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 182[13] | 3/4 | Entire Southern network (apart from the Uckfield and Marshlink lines). 377/5 and a number of 377/2 units in use with First Capital Connect sub-leased from Southern. |
2002–2009 | |||||
Class 442 (5Wes) Wessex Electric | ![]() |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 24[13] | 5 | London Victoria – Gatwick Airport/Brighton (Gatwick Express) London Bridge – Eastbourne Weekends: London Victoria – East Croydon – Brighton (Southern) |
1988–1989 | |||||
Class 455/8 | ![]() |
electric multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 46[13] | 4 | Suburban services from London Victoria and London Bridge on London Metro | 1982–1984 | |||||
Class 456 | electric multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 24[13] | 2 | Suburban services from London Victoria and London Bridge on London Metro. | 1990–1991 | ||||||
Class 460 (8Gat) Juniper | ![]() |
electrical multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 2 | 8 | Gatwick Express units. Most transferred to South West Trains to form Class 458/5 units, two left in service with Southern. | 2000–2001 |
Future Fleet
Class | Type | Enter Service | Cars per unit | Total Ordered | Routes to be operated |
British Rail Class 377/6 | electric multiple unit | No later than December 2013 [14] | 5 | 26 | Dual-powered units to supplement 377/2s on Metro and Milton Keynes services |
Southern plans to reform some of its Class 377 units into five car formations, allowing it to run ten-car trains as required,[15] as station platforms via Balham are due to be extended for 10 carriage formations. The Sydenham and Oxted routes are all recommended to be extended from 8 to 12 car platforms prior to 2012, but the Sydenham line services will be extended to 10 carriages closer to the time.[16]
In 2011, Southern announced that, due to the delays in the procurement of the new trains for the Thameslink Programme, the 23 Class 377s on sub-lease to First Capital Connect would not be returned on time to deliver the operator's planned capacity increases, due to begin with the December 2013 timetable change. As a consequence, Southern began the process to procure up to 130 new carriages for delivery by December 2013.[17] It was announced on 28 December 2011 that Bombardier had won the contract to supply this additional capacity of 130 carriages.[18]
Past fleet
Class | Image | Type | Built | Withdrawn | Notes |
Class 205 (3H) | ![]() |
diesel multiple unit | 1957–60 | 2004 | Some Preserved. |
Class 207 (3D) | ![]() |
diesel multiple unit | 1962 | 2004 | Some Preserved. |
Class 319 | electric multiple unit | 1987 | 2008 | Transferred to First Capital Connect. | |
Class 421 (4Cig) | electric multiple unit | 1964–66 | 2005 | Some Preserved. | |
Class 423 (4Vep) | ![]() |
electric multiple unit | 1967–71 | 2005 | Some Preserved. |
Future
Southern, as part of their successful bid for the South Central franchise in 2009, made several commitments to improving services across the network.[9] These included:
- Increasing the length of suburban services in South London to 10 cars between 2011 and 2013
- Increasing the service level on all routes in South London to 4 trains per hour (tph) until 23:00 each day, and the introduction of late night services on Fridays and Saturdays
- The introduction of an hourly service on Sundays between Brighton and Southampton Central, and an increase in the number of late night services between Brighton and Worthing
- The introduction of late night services on the London to Uckfield route
- A new service to Southampton Airport and an increase in the number of Gatwick Express services extended to Brighton in peak times
- Introduction of CCTV in all Southern operated trains and stations by June 2011
- Installation of new ticket gates at 22 stations across the network
- Increasing the number of car parking spaces at stations by 1,000 and the number of cycle spaces by 1,500
- Cleaning and refreshing of all stations and trains on the network
- Major refurbishments to seven stations, specifically Brighton, Haywards Heath, Hove, Lewes, Redhill, Three Bridges and Worthing
- Introduction of ITSO smartcards by January 2012
- Southern will be running some Class 313s,[19] These trains will run along the Coastway routes. This will allow 3 car class 377 sets to be transferred to routes in South London.[19]
Uckfield-Lewes line
The franchise consultation paper that was released at the beginning of the 2009 franchising process stated that the ultimate franchise agreement would include a change mechanism that would enable the DfT to incorporate supplemental routes into the South Central franchise and invited bidders to submit priced options for schemes put forward by stakeholders. One such scheme could, as indicated in the South Central Franchise Consultation Paper, be the reopening of the Uckfield – Lewes line, which closed in 1969.[20] In recent years, several interested parties have been examining the possibility of reopening the line.[21][22][22]
Criticism
In early 2006, Southern became the focus of attention from cyclists' groups as a result of their policy prohibiting the carriage of ordinary cycles during peak hours on trains destined for London and Brighton.[23]
Southern and sister company Southeastern were criticised in January 2007 for not wishing to introduce Oyster Pay As You Go on their London routes, stating that it was not financially viable. In 2007 Southern introduced Oyster on its Watford Junction to Clapham Junction route,[24] and the company later agreed in principle to the introduction of Oyster across their network,[25] but did not give any firm timescale for any roll out, with Southern's managing director Chris Burchell saying
"There are still a number of outstanding issues that need to be discussed with TfL, but we do not believe these will prevent us making PAYG a reality on our network. We look forward to discussions with TfL on how we can make this happen as soon as possible for our passengers."[26]
In their successful franchise bid in 2009, Southern said they were committed to rolling out Oyster Pay As You Go in the London area, but also that such a move was subject to industry agreement.[9] Since 2 January 2010, Oyster Pay as You Go has been valid on all of their London routes, along with most other train services in the London area.
Timetables
Much of the criticism that Southern have faced surrounded major changes that were made to their timetables in December 2007 and December 2008.
In December 2007, Southern changed the arrangement for the splitting of services to and from London Victoria on the Arun Valley Line, opting to split trains at Horsham rather than Barnham. Some passengers criticised this change as it increased the journey time to and from London by up to 10 minutes from certain stations, whilst in the event of services running behind schedule, trains were sometimes not split at Horsham, and proceeded non-stop to Barnham, leaving commuters from the Arun Valley left at Horsham with the prospect of no onward trains.[27]
In December 2008 further timetable changes were made, which included the introduction of the extended Gatwick Express services. However, reliability and timekeeping on some of the new services were considered poor, leading to several public meetings being held relating the problem.[28][29][30] On 22 January 2009, Southern responded to some of these criticisms. During 2009 these services have recorded improved timekeeping and criticisms have since subsided.[31]
The new timetable also led to unhappiness due to the difference in speed and frequency of service between East Coastway services and those on the Brighton Main Line.[32][33]
December 2010 Timetable
Further changes to the timetable were made in December 2010; the first timetable change to include many of the requirements of the new franchise. Additional services were included at evenings and weekends. In the London area a 'metro' frequency of service was introduced on most routes with the extension of the weekday daytime 4 trains per hour norm to late evenings (up to around midnight), Saturdays and Sundays. In addition new late night services were introduced from London on Friday and Saturday nights with last trains leaving central London at around 0030 (times varying by route).
Outside London, a new later evening service was introduced to Uckfield from London Bridge, new late night services from Brighton along the west coastway (2303 and 0003) and direct services between Southampton and Brighton on Sundays.
Southern's plans for enhanced services between Victoria and Brighton with a new 4 trains per hour frequency were rejected at the last minute by the Office of Rail Regulation and were so not introduced.
See also
References
- ^ "Privacy policy: Southern". Southern. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ a b "Connex loses rail franchise". BBC News. 24 October 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Gatwick service benefits Brighton". BBC News. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ "Agreement signed to amend Gatwick Express and Southern franchises". Department for Transport. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Next Stop South London "Next stop South London". The Londoner. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) [dead link] - ^ "UK govt mulling handover of part of Go-Ahead's Southern franchise to TfL". Forbes. 10 March 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Bidders for South Central franchise announced". Department for Transport/News Distribution Service. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ^ "Nat Exp and Stagecoach on rail bid shortlist". Reuters. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ a b c "More frequent and more secure rail services for London and the South East". Department for Transport/News Distribution Service. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ^ "Thameslink Franchise OJEU Notice" (PDF). Department for Transport. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ Gatwick Express: Brighton extension timetable
- ^ "National Rail Trends Chapter 2" (PDF). ORR.
- ^ a b c d e Southern: Useful Information Retrieved 11 February 2010
- ^ http://www.southernrailway.com/southern/news/southern-launches-competition-for-130-new-carriages/
- ^ Clinnick, Richard (2009). "Britain's future-facing fleets". Rail (634): 66–73.
- ^ Network Rail: South London RUS page 5 Retrieved 11 Feb 2010
- ^ Railnews. "Southern to order more trains as Thameslink slips". Railnews Ltd. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Bombardier Wins Additional Order for 130 ELECTROSTAR Cars from Southern in the UK". Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ a b Rail Magazine, Issue 629, 21 Oct – 3 Nov 2009
- ^ "South Central Franchise Consultation Paper" (PDF). Department for Transport. 22 May 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Lewes-Uckfield rail line:re-instatement study underway". East Sussex County Council. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Green signal to reopen rail line". The Argus. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Bicycle policy: Southern". Southern. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ "Oyster card: Southern". Southern. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ "Oyster cards for ALL trains". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
- ^ "Southern say yes to Oyster". Wimbledon Gazette. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Rail revolt as trains dump passengers". West Sussex County Times. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ "Commuters form pressure group". Eastbourne Herald. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ "Record of Meetings – Southern East Coastway Commuters". Southern East Coastway Commuters. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ "BRAG News Christmas 2008". Bexhill Rail Action Group. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ "News – Southern Railway". Southern Railway. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "BRAG's Faster Trains Campaign January 2009". Bexhill Rail Action Group. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ "Rail users want faster trains – Eastbourne Today". TR Beckett Newspapers. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)