Thameslink apologises after MPs raise concerns about "underperforming" operator

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has apologised after MPs heard how it was “underperforming” on two key routes.

During a Westminster Hall debate on February 25, Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson (Conservative) said Thameslink trains on the Bedford route and the East Coast Main Line were “too often unreliable, late or cancelled”.

MPs said the operator had a lack of drivers to run the advertised service, and described alternative transport arrangement during disruption as an “afterthought”.

“Since I first moved to Mid Bedfordshire more than a decade ago, I have been a regular user of Thameslink, but it feels to me and many of the constituents I speak to about it that something has gone wrong,” said Stephenson.

“Overcrowded, standing room-only carriages have become the norm. Too often, the timetable is merely a guideline, not a rulebook for when trains will arrive.”

A survey among his constituents found that 57% described the service as poor, 80% had been affected by a cancellation within the last month, and 88% had experienced a delay of more than ten minutes.

The service from Flitwick was highlighted by Stephenson, who said that the 0741 to St Pancras had been scheduled to arrive at 0832 in 2008, compared with 0834 in 2025.

“Too often, they do not arrive at all,” he said.

“In the past 100 days, 11% of the 0741 services from Flitwick have been cancelled, and 25% have arrived at St Pancras more than five minutes late. That compares reasonably favourably with the 0743 service, which has been cancelled 28% of the time and has arrived late 42% of the time. That is simply not good enough.”

Stephenson called for more capacity on the Midland Main Line with a potential Luton Airport expansion and new theme park at Kempston Hardwick, an interchange with East West Rail, a freight interchange at Sundon, and thousands of new homes.

In response, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said he recognised that the performance on Thameslink was not where the government expected it to be.

“Officials are closely monitoring train crew availability levels and the actions that GTR is taking to improve, which will provide greater resilience in this area,” he said.

“I am pleased that there has been some improved performance in that area this year, but that must be sustained and improved on further.”

Lightwood also pointed to upgrades being made to overhead line equipment on the Midland Main Line, while both he and GTR said that most of the rails on the Thameslink route were replaced over Christmas, which will help to prevent track faults.

GTR highlighted infrastructure faults and emergencies on January 6, 15, 22, 29 and February 14 that had affected services.

Thameslink Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders said: “We know our service hasn’t always been good enough and we sincerely apologise. Passengers rightly want trains to run on time and we, alongside our industry partners, are working hard to improve.

“Reliability has been better since the start of the year, but our service has still been affected by external events, such as named storms, people trespassing on the track, and fatalities.”