Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)

Southern is a former UK rail operating company and now a brand of Govia Thameslink Railway. The subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture of Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, operated the South Central franchise from 2001 to 2015 and the Gatwick Express from 2008 to 2015. Since the merger of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern networks, Southern operates solely as a brand name.

The route network extends from London's Victoria and London Bridge stations to the neighbouring counties of Surrey and Sussex to the south.

The company was officially called New Southern Railway Ltd. After taking over the concession from Connex South Central in October 2000, it initially operated under the brand name South Central. On 30 May 2004, it changed its name and has since been known as Southern. This is to commemorate the former Southern Railway, which existed during the sectorisation period from 1923 to 1947 and operated in the same region.

From June 2008, Southern will be responsible for operating the Gatwick Express between London Victoria station and Gatwick Airport, providing additional fast trains to and from Brighton during peak periods.

The Southern network has been plagued by significant service disruption since 2016, partly due to a dispute with trade unions and partly due to a shortage of qualified drivers. The Association of British Commuters took legal action against the Department for Transport in early 2017 to establish whether the Department for Transport had failed in its duty to intervene.

Tracks

Southern trains operate on local routes in south London and the counties of Surrey and Sussex, and on the following main lines:

• Brighton Main Line: London Victoria/London Bridge - Brighton
• East Coastway Line: Brighton - Eastbourne - Hastings
• Sutton & Mole Valley Lines: London Victoria/London Bridge - Sutton - Dorking - Horsham or Guildford
• West Coastway Line: Brighton - Portsmouth or Southampton
• West London Line: Clapham Junction - Watford Junction

Rolling Stock