Thameslink operator fined £5million for handling of May timetable chaos

Massive timetable changes introduced in May 2018 led to weeks of chaos for passengers using services run by Govia Thameslink Railway.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has been investigating whether GTR did everything possible to provide accurate information so people could plan and make their journeys, both in the run up to the timetable changes and during the disruption that followed.

The investigation found that following the changes and in the eight weeks that followed GTR ‘failed to appropriately balance the steps it was taking to improve services with the need for passenger information to an unacceptable extent and duration’.

In particular:

• Trains were permanently removed from the timetable but passengers were not clearly informed until several weeks later

• Further trains were removed or cancelled on a daily basis leading to very short notice changes to the timetable and a severe lack of certainty for passengers up until the point of travel

• Some trains were reintroduced but with insufficient time to input journey information into systems. These ‘ghost trains’ arrived at stations with staff and passengers unaware of their arrival or where they were expected to stop

• Replacement buses were used on some routes but prolonged delays in providing information in journey planners meant many passengers weren’t aware that they were available