Govia get Thameslink Franchise

[IanXC]

No. The issue is that at the moment from Cambridge to London FCC (to become part of TSGN) are the "fast" operator, with AGA the "slow". From London to Portsmouth, SWT are the "fast", Southern (to become TSGN) are the "slow". The routing keeps you on the slower tickets.

Would "via Gatwick and Bishop's Stortford" (VIA GTW & BIS) be workable? Or too confusing in its shortened form?

Showing my lack of South East network knowledge there!

Remember the new ticket formats allow for longer descriptions, so "via x and y" written in full become viable in most cases.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

... and tickets for Sleeper services printed as 'via zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz'

 

[Bald Rick]

Back on topic slightly, GoAhead have announced that Charles Horton will be CEO of the new franchise; he is currently MD at southeastern. Before that he was at Southern so does have form.

Will be interesting to see who replaces him, presumably an announcement on that waits until the direct award is done.

 

[tony6499]

Back on topic slightly, GoAhead have announced that Charles Horton will be CEO of the new franchise; he is currently MD at southeastern. Before that he was at Southern so does have form.

Will be interesting to see who replaces him, presumably an announcement on that waits until the direct award is done.

Be interesting to see how many Southern directors and senior managers are kept on for the new franchise.

Horton was a good boss of Southern and respected by the staff so a good choice.

 

[Olaf]

Be interesting to see how many Southern directors and senior managers are kept on for the new franchise.

Horton was a good boss of Southern and respected by the staff so a good choice.

Wont it be the First Directors and Managers that will be 'released'?

 

[user15681]

Good and bad, I suppose. He's done alright at Southeastern IMO, the few times I spoke he seemed like a good MD, but I know some don't like him, especially some passengers. Horton did good at Southern though and there seemed to be much more approval there, so it's good in that respect. Couple of others transferring over too, as well.

 

[jon0844]

I eagerly await new tickets with a premium for services running into King's Cross instead of Moorgate, and for gates to stop accepting even more tickets so you will queue to get in or out!

 

[pitdiver]

When I worked on LUL Charles Horton was my GSM. I always he was a "Good Egg" then.

 

[physics34]

yeh enough of this ticket talk, the most exciting times on the southern, thameslink and great northern in many a year and all you can talk about is tickets !!!

 

[LBSCR Times]

Wont it be the First Directors and Managers that will be 'released'?

Directors, yes, but don't forget that Southern and TSGN are two companies until next July, so they will need two lots of management until then.
After that the blood-letting will start........
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Back on topic slightly, GoAhead have announced that Charles Horton will be CEO of the new franchise; he is currently MD at southeastern. Before that he was at Southern so does have form.

Will be interesting to see who replaces him, presumably an announcement on that waits until the direct award is done.

And he was part of the Connex empire too.
A good Ops Director.....

 

[Via Bank]

Good and bad, I suppose. He's done alright at Southeastern IMO, the few times I spoke he seemed like a good MD, but I know some don't like him, especially some passengers. Horton did good at Southern though and there seemed to be much more approval there, so it's good in that respect. Couple of others transferring over too, as well.

Bear in mind that Southeastern is generally considered the worst of the former NSE train companies (and not without merit—although their performance has picked up lately, until very recently their passenger information and customer services left a lot to be desired.) Naturally a lot of the animosity then falls onto the MD, who becomes a totemic figurehead for passengers' frustrations—regardless of that person's individual character and competence.

 

[Fincra5]

He did well with Southern though. I've only met him for a few mins, he seems like a nice guy .

 

[317 forever]

The branding would seem to be simply "Thameslink" if the image on the DfT announcement is to be believed, and mainly in white.

FirstGroup's first loss of a franchise since Great Eastern in 2004.

I wonder whether all trains will trade as Thameslink? Or will they trade as one of the following 3 descriptions Thameslink, Great Northern or Southern as appropriate?

 

[samogers]

I read somewhere that GoVia wanted to keep the "Southern" brand

 

[A-driver]

I wonder whether all trains will trade as Thameslink? Or will they trade as one of the following 3 descriptions Thameslink, Great Northern or Southern as appropriate?

The plan seems to be thameslink for all north of the river and farringdon bound trains and southern for non farringdon south of the river traffic.

 

[Bald Rick]

I wonder whether all trains will trade as Thameslink? Or will they trade as one of the following 3 descriptions Thameslink, Great Northern or Southern as appropriate?

Yet to be decided, although it would be very surprising if GoVia went to the expense of revinyling/painting all the green trains when they don't need to.

 

[swt_passenger]

Yet to be decided, although it would be very surprising if GoVia went to the expense of revinyling/painting all the green trains when they don't need to.

The Govia press release linked to early in this thread (in post #25) included this:

During the course of the franchise the Thameslink identity will be re-introduced and the Southern and Gatwick Express brands retained.

It was mentioned in the discussions at the time, there's little need to speculate surely? The only question mark was about what would happen about the name of the remaining GN services, including those into Moorgate.

Personally I never thought it likely that the Thameslink name would be extended to non-core services. It would look totally confusing on a Brighton train sitting in Southampton after all...

 

[Bald Rick]

Ah thanks, had forgotten what was public. What happens to services out of KX / Moorgate is the bit still to be decided.

 

[swt_passenger]

Ah thanks, had forgotten what was public. What happens to services out of KX / Moorgate is the bit still to be decided.

If I were a betting man, I'd go with Great Northern. They'd surely use the same logic that leads to Southern and GatEx being kept. For the same reasons as my south of the river example, using Thameslink for trains into Moorgate and Kings Cross would be weird...

 

[jon0844]

What I'd like to know is the name of the whole area - in other words the main name for the route maps, the side of the train perhaps, definitely the website etc.

TSGN clearly doesn't work for the public.

 

[Aictos]

What I'd like to know is the name of the whole area - in other words the main name for the route maps, the side of the train perhaps, definitely the website etc.

TSGN clearly doesn't work for the public.

They could do it as NSE did, call it officially TSGN for the paperwork but on timetables, station announcements, posters etc use the route branding specific to that area so Hatfield would see Thameslink and Great Northern branded services even though it's still the same company behind the scenes.

Announcing the next train to Moorgate is the 23:30 Thameslink service when it goes nowhere near the Thameslink route is a bit misleading hence why I imho would prefer separate route branding as in NSE days.

 

[Bald Rick]

Pretty sure it will be branded as if it was separate companies, separate websites etc, like Gatwick Express. The question mark is what happens with the GN. All however will be operated by GoVia Thameslink Railway Ltd.

 

[Aictos]

Pretty sure it will be branded as if it was separate companies, separate websites etc, like Gatwick Express. The question mark is what happens with the GN. All however will be operated by GoVia Thameslink Railway Ltd.

I agree, branding as you have said makes more sense however what Govia actually do could be something quite different.

I guess this will be one of the many questions that will be brought up internally too when Govia host sessions to meet their new employees.

 

[jon0844]

When First won what became FCC it had a name, logo, and website (with info to staff at first). Don't most franchise bids include this?

It seems rather out of the ordinary to win a franchise but not have some rather fundamental things sorted already. I suppose all the work was around planning the timetables, rolling stock and other logistics.

 

[A-driver]

When First won what became FCC it had a name, logo, and website (with info to staff at first). Don't most franchise bids include this?

It seems rather out of the ordinary to win a franchise but not have some rather fundamental things sorted already. I suppose all the work was around planning the timetables, rolling stock and other logistics.

Pretty sure it has all been sorted out already, just not announced.

After the franchise is awarded there is a cooling off period so no news will come out. After that (around now) more info is likely to be released.

 

[LBSCR Times]

After the franchise is awarded there is a cooling off period so no news will come out. After that (around now) more info is likely to be released.

Yes, there is a 10 day cooling off period, in which, amongst other things, First Group could lodge an objection, although they are not.
Then there are contracts to sign, etc, so information will come out slowly after that. But bear in mind that Govia will be liaising with FCC over a lot of what happens currently, so will have to take this in to consideration, before deciding how they can proceed.

 

[Domh245]

With the different names for at least 3 parts of the franchise, possibly 4, will there be a number of different liveries, or will all the rolling stock eventually be painted into the DfT TSGN livery (the blue and grey one)

 

[physics34]

With the different names for at least 3 parts of the franchise, possibly 4, will there be a number of different liveries, or will all the rolling stock eventually be painted into the DfT TSGN livery (the blue and grey one)

A question I'm sure we all want answered!

Govia say that the southern branding is staying, now whether that means the livery too we shall have to see...

And the fact that the Thameslink 387s look like they are going to arrive in white with green doors throws another spanner in the works.

I also wonder what govia will do with the FCC livery when they take over in september. I'm sure they'll want to get rid of a rivals branding as soon as possible. Now whether that meansripping off vinyls or just covering the FCC motifs with a sticker we will have to see.! I don't they would bother to repaint the 319s .

 

[Manchester77]

They're arriving with green doors because they're being sub-leased from southern - so they're technically southerns trains hence the southern branding

 

[physics34]

They're arriving with green doors because they're being sub-leased from southern - so they're technically southerns trains hence the southern branding

So Possibily the green doors maybe covered by a vinyl.