Greater Thameslink Railway
British state-owned train operating company
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Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited,[1] trading as Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR), is a state-owned British train operating company that took over the services of commercially-owned operator Govia Thameslink Railway on 31 May 2026. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Department for Transport.
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Greater London
South East England
| |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Main regions | East of England Greater London South East England |
| Fleet | |
| Stations operated | 238 |
| Parent company | DfT Operator |
| Reporting mark | GN, GX, SN, TL |
| Predecessor | Govia Thameslink Railway |
| Other | |
| Website | gtrailway |
The company operates the following services:
History
In the lead-up to the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Labour Party of Keir Starmer committed itself to bring the passenger operations of the British rail network back under state ownership.[2][3] Following its election win, the government introduced the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 that received the royal assent in November 2024.[4][5]
In September 2025, it was announced that the passenger rail services provided by Govia Thameslink Railway would transfer to public ownership on 31 May 2026.[6][7][8]
Thameslink and Great Northern services
Thameslink is a 68-station main-line route running 225 km (140 miles) through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport, with a suburban loop serving Sutton, Mitcham and Wimbledon and a suburban line via Catford and Bromley South to Sevenoaks.
Great Northern is the name of the suburban rail services run on the southern end of Britain's East Coast Main Line and associated branches. Services operate both to and from London King's Cross and Moorgate. Destinations include Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn.
Southern and Gatwick Express services
Southern routes run from London Victoria and London Bridge through the South London suburbs of Battersea, Norbury, Peckham, Sydenham, Crystal Palace, Norwood, Croydon, Streatham, Purley and Sutton to towns surrounding London including Caterham, Epsom and Tadworth.
Further afield, Southern also serve Redhill, Tonbridge, Uckfield, East Grinstead, Gatwick Airport, Brighton, Ashford International, Worthing, Hastings, Portsmouth Harbour, Eastbourne, Horsham, Southampton Central, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. Additionally, Southern run West London route services from Watford Junction to East Croydon via Clapham Junction.
Greater Thameslink Railway also operates the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
Rolling stock
Greater Thameslink Railway inherited the following trains from its predecessor:
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