Many readers will have noticed that there has been no noticeable reduction in the number of train cancellations on Great Northern. They mostly occur at weekends (when the service is nominally only half-hourly in the first place) and during school holidays, reflecting the fact the fact that the chronic shortage of drivers continues. Punctuality also continues to be extremely poor.
Govia Thameslink Railway, the company behind Great Northern, is a joint venture between the Go Ahead group and Keolis. Its problems are by no means confined to Great Northern. It seems that Thameslink services are equally bad, while services under the Southern branding are in disarray because of driver shortages and appalling industrial relations.
On top of that, Govia's plans to close many ticket offices and instead use "station hosts" encountered much opposition. Govia has now agreed to revise its proposals and to run pilot schemes; some ticket offices will be retained and opened during the morning peak (it's unclear whether they will include Palmers Green) and there have been reassurances about the range of tickets that will be available either from station hosts or from machines at the stations.
The driver shortage can't be entirely blamed on Govia - it was inherited from First Capital Connect and there are suggestions that drivers trained at Govia's expense are being "poached" by other train operators. However, Govia was aware of this problem when it took on the contract. I think it is by now clear that Govia has not proved able to fulfil its contract. Indeed, I read this week that the Department for Transport has agreed to relax some franchise agreement stipulations affecting services south of the Thames to make life easier for Govia. (So much for the theory that privatising public services transfers the risk to the contractor - the people at risk are the travelling public and the taxpayers!)
Which makes it particulary infuriating to learn that Go Ahead's CEO, David Brown, has been awarded a pay package amounting to nearly £2.2 million. His pay, including "salary, bonuses and incentives", reportedly increased by ten per cent. The three worst rated rail franchises in the UK are all run by Go Ahead, whose boss is thus being paid extra money for failure.
I think it's high time that these franchises were taken out of Govia's hands and taken over by the Department for Transport, which operated the East Coast Main Line very successfully between 2009 and 2015. As I said before, I don't think that the company is entirely to blame. And clearly, new drivers will not materialise out of thin air and cancellations will undoubtedly be a regular feature for many months to come whoever is running the service. But I do think it's offensive to both passengers and taxpayers that profits should be going to Go Ahead's management, board and shareholders when the company is clearly failing to run a satisfactory service.
Sources
- Evening Standard 13 June: Boss of the UK's worst rail franchise sees pay packet soar above £2 million
- Guardian 20 June: Southern Railway is failing customers again and again. That’s why I spoke out
- Govia Thameslink Railway responds to feedback from London TravelWatch
- Passenger watchdog secures changes to GTR ticket office proposals
- Govia Thameslink reduces ticket office closures after passenger feedback
