Adapting to the future Govia Thameslink Railway Sustainability Report 2018 About us The Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise was established to modernise the network and bring change, introducing more frequent and dependable services into and beyond London. Passenger numbers across these geographies have continued to rise faster than other areas of the country and the efforts of our teams are helping to create new journey opportunities, whilst delivering state of the art trains, better infrastructure, improving stations and supporting local communities. King’s Lynn Peterborough Bedford Milton Keynes Central London Wimbledon Sutton Tonbridge Horsham Ashford Southampton Uckfield International Brighton Portsmouth Bognor Eastbourne Regis Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) Sustainability Report 2018 In this report Follow us on social media: @gatwickexpress 2 Chief Executive Officer’s message 4 Finance @GNRailUK 5 Better teams @southernrailUK 6 Happier customers @TLRailUK 8 Stronger communities For more information, 10 Cleaner environment visit our websites: 12 Smarter technology www.gatwickexpress.com 13 Key data www.greatnorthernrail.com Our reporting structure www.southernrailway.com We are committed to operating our buses in www.thameslinkrailway.com a way which helps to put our services at the heart of the communities they serve. This report is split into six sections: Finance Better teams Happier To work together To perform all job customers with suppliers to roles and tasks To gain more happy jointly deliver the competently to customers and reward best possible service allow further growth. colleagues for receiving p4 p5 positive feedback. p6 Stronger Cleaner Smarter communities environment technology To support colleagues To improve air quality To implement new with fundraising events and encourage fuel market leading which support the local efficiency at all technology and adapt community. locations across it accordingly. We’re part of The the business. p8 p12 p10 Group www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com, www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com 1 Chief Executive Officer’s message “As we get ready to add more services into our December 2018 timetable it is right for us to take a moment to look back on the past year. I am sorry for the disruption our passengers experienced over the summer, however I am working closely with my team to improve the customer experience across our network.” Patrick Verwer Chief Executive Officer, Govia Thameslink Railway When I started with GTR towards the end As part of making some amends for the of July, my first priority was ensuring that disruption of the timetable, we led the we stabilised the train service, making it industry’s additional compensation scheme more reliable and giving our passengers for those affected. This work began by us confidence to plan their journeys. The targeting season ticket holders who travelled timetable we introduced on 15 July during the disruption, and then, listening delivered this consistency, whilst ensuring to our passenger and stakeholder feedback, we had 200 more services operating than we extended this to passengers with day we had prior to May 2018. Once this was tickets, including Carnets, as well. All of embedded, the underlying benefits the this supplemented our usual Delay Repay timetable had been designed to deliver scheme, which pays out for any delay of started to show through. Across August 15 minutes or more, and our enhanced our public performance measure (PPM) compensation process. rose, with most days eight or nine trains out of 10 arriving near their scheduled time, This report gives us the opportunity to reflect whilst the number of cancellations dropped. on the last year, as well as look towards the In fact, during this time, Southern actually future. It’s our chance to tell you about some recorded the best PPM score in over four of the activities and initiatives we have been years. Please do not think though that this working on behind the scenes, and give you signals the completion of our work — I am a flavour of what is to come. This includes our fully focused on improving the passenger teams’ efforts to introduce brand new trains experience across our four brands. My onto the Moorgate line, the reopening of aspiration is not only to meet the levels of London Bridge station, as well as our service our passengers’ desire, but go way commitment to introduce new technology, beyond them. such as our automatic Delay Repay system. 2 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) Sustainability Report 2018 2018 highlights • First ever train operator to • 115 new Class 700 trains run automatic train operation on now operating, serving the whole an urban railway Thameslink route • Over £8 million invested • 200 more trains being run across in station improvements the network • 8 community rail lines supported • Thousands of passengers invited to St Pancras familiarisation tours Across the network GTR continued its commitment to reduce our environmental impact, increase our connection with local £276,450 communities, deliver infrastructure invested in our local enhancements, as well as support the communities development of our people. There is a lot of good work being undertaken by different teams from the business, and 10+ while I appreciate that the most important Try the Train aspect of our operation is getting you where events, supporting you need to go, on time, there’s also a lot those with being undertaken to improve your experience, accessibility support good causes, as well as make us a needs more sustainable business. I hope this report gives you more information on those efforts and I look forward to working closer with 18,000 many of our stakeholders and partners during the coming months. Over 18,000 children have so far benefitted from a Go-Learn session 63 new Ticket Vending Machines www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com, www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com 3 Finance Again we are investing over £650,000 in works Over the last 12 months we to improve accessibility at our stations. This have continued to invest includes installing an accessible toilet at Carshalton, new way-finding signage at significant funds, especially Flitwick and an additional help point at in our stations, to improve Meldreth. All of these plans are endorsed by the passenger experience. our volunteer Access Advisory Panel members, Passenger Focus and the This ranges from large Department for Transport (DfT). We also work developments to smaller with London Travelwatch for those locations enhancements. inside the travelcard zones. We continue to work closely with Network Rail to deliver a number of significant step free improvements to stations across the network. This includes work at Alexandra Palace, Luton and Selhurst, all funded by the DfT’s Access for All fund. These will be delivered in control period 6 (2019-2024). We continue to invest more than £1 million each year in our smaller stations (with less than 1 million footfall per annum) too, Bognor Regis Town Mayor cuts the ribbon including retail improvements at Bellingham, to celebrate the completion of work at the enhanced booking hall at Buxted, plus a new station. waiting shelter at Downham Market. Key highlights Many of the schemes are jointly delivered with Network Rail and partners. This included a booking hall refurbishment at Hatfield and a complete redevelopment of Bognor Regis. The latter was completed in collaboration £2.5m with the local council plus Railway Heritage, invested in the and the Town Mayor praised all those involved project at (pictured), saying: “It’s fantastic that Bognor Bognor Regis Regis has had these much needed improvements.” Work continues on other schemes, 30 including the redesign of Eastbourne and More than 30 Elstree stations. Station Travel Plans being reviewed 4 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) Sustainability Report 2018 Better Teams Throughout the year we classroom learning with practical work experience, with many of the young have continued to see our adults going onto employment, most often teams work hard to support with our own teams (pictured). One of the our passengers, even in some programmes’ success stories, Ben O’Day, even supported the Trust by presenting of the most trying situations. the benefits of this type of partnership to We continue to focus on an audience of almost 200 industry leaders ensuring they have the right at the DfT. As a result of Ben’s very personal story, other operators have approached tools and support to give you the Trust about replicating our work on the experience you deserve. their own networks. We continue to support our people, We continue to focus on our diversity and especially focusing on their development. a recent intake of trainee train drivers Most of our staff have now attended our saw women account for half of Great ‘One Step Ahead’ training. This goes beyond Northern and Southern’s intake. During normal customer service courses, focusing the year, one class of trainees from across on how we really do make a difference to Peterborough and St Neots demonstrated the journeys of our passengers. the commitment we have made, with the group having a 50:50 gender split, including Our commitment to development mums retraining from different industries, continues with more and more of our as well as former station staff from across staff getting involved in the “Get Into the network. Since June 2017 our Southern Railways” programmes with the Prince’s driver training intake has been 25% female Trust. Throughout the last year we have and progress remains good. run another three courses, which blend All employees Male 82% Female 18% Gender Pay Gap 19% towards men Another group of young people celebrate the completion of their Get Into Railways programme. www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com, www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com 5 Happier Customers Sadly, the late industry approvals of our The GTR franchise was timetable meant that our resources were put together to deliver not correctly aligned for the new service, and our passengers, like others across brand new, fit for purpose the country, experienced unprecedented timetables, that directly disruption.