Businesses count the cost of Southern rail disruption
Cancelled meetings and lost business mount up as entrepreneurs express fury at a failing railway and government inaction
It’s been a summer of travel misery for businesses that use Southern Railway. In July, following numerous cancellations and delays, Southern implemented a reduced timetable, cancelling approximately 341 trains a day. It says some have since been restored, but the service remains unreliable. Operating company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is at loggerheads with the RMT union and its passengers have endured several strikes, with more on the cards.
The impact on the economy is substantial. Southern is the UK’s largest rail franchise, covering routes from Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent into London. GTR, led by CEO Charles Horton, also operates the Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express rail companies, and its parent company, Govia, runs London Midland and South Eastern train companies. So the trouble has implications for other parts of the country, too, and other rail companies are doubtless keeping watch.
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Source: Guardian Transport
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