With South Eastern having to hand back their franchise, the Operator of Last Resort has stepped in with a new operator- SE Trains.
SE Trains CityBeam on a demonstration run – Image, Southeastern/SE Trains
The previous franchise holder – SouthEastern – handed back control to SE Trains on the 17th of October, marking the transfer from private to public operations.
SE Trains will continue to runs trains as normal, as well as continue with the rollout of Class 707 “CityBeam” trains to be used on suburban services. The 30-strong fleet will create more space on busy metro routes, providing walk-through carriages and air conditioning to create more spacious and comfortable journeys.
In the real world, the train company will still be known as SouthEastern.
There will be no changes in day-to-day services, timetables, or customer services, as a result of the transfer. All tickets, railcards and Key cards for travel on Southeastern trains will still be valid for the dates shown will remain valid after 17 October (if applicable).
This also includes all season tickets and pre-purchased tickets, including if part of your journey is with another rail company.
What happened to get to this point?
Money. Plain and simple. With LSER (London South Eastern Railway – the official name of the previous franchise) having not declared over £25 million of historic taxpayer funding which should have been returned to the government.
In Quotes
Managing Director SoutheEastern, Steve White said:
“SE Trains is now operational and I’m delighted that the transfer has gone so smoothly. For our passengers and colleagues it’s very much business as usual.
“Our focus now is squarely on winning back our customers to travel on the railway.
“You can expect to see more of the striking new trains on our network, investment in our fleet and stations, flexible ticketing and new technology to ensure journeys are as comfortable and convenient as possible.
“Our customers deserve punctual, reliable and sustainable services – and we will continue to develop our timetable to ensure we’re meeting our customers’ needs.”
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s Route Director for Kent said:
“As Southeastern moves into new ownership, we’ll continue to work closely in partnership as we always have done to deliver the safe and on-time railway that passengers across the region deserve. We will continue to put passengers first and be responsive to the needs of everyone across the network.
Robin Gisby, CEO of DOHL and Chair of SE Trains Ltd said:
“Our aim for SE Trains will be to maintain an unwavering focus on delivering an excellent service for passengers. We have a very experienced team to confidently take the business forward and there are many exciting improvements for passengers to look forward to, including the continued roll-out of new trains.
“I’d like to thank the Southeastern team for their hard work and professionalism during the transition to SE Trains.”
The Future for SE Trains
As a train company looks to move beyond the Operator of Last Resort, the previous management notes that the Government will move the services back into the private sector on a new Passenger Services Contract, allowing private sector investment and innovation to lead the way in delivering a regional railway that works for its passengers.
However, that could be some time.
Southern joins LNER, Northern Trains and Transport for Wales Trains services as operations that have been moved under the operator of last resort – where a government organisation steps in if a train operating company is no longer able to do so (be it due to finances or other reason).
For passengers – the important thing is that not a lot has changed on a day-to-day basis and that life and services continue.
Apart from delays and cancellations.
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