Today is the first day of services on SE Trains after Southeastern was handed over to the Government-owned service provider.
Yesterday rail services across the southeast transferred into the public sector under the ownership of Government-owned SE Trains.
Trains will continue to run as normal and all tickets remain valid following the takeover.
SE Trains are committed to providing an excellent service and will continue the rollout of City Beam trains on what remains one of UK’s busiest commuter networks.
This forms part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Operator of Last Resort Ltd (DOHL).
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”.
Steve White, Managing Director at SE Trains explained how passengers will be at the forefront of SE Trains’ plans.
Mr White said: “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.
“We will continue to develop our timetable to ensure we’re meeting our customers’ needs.”
The Government will look to move the services back into the private sector on a new Passenger Services Contract.
This will allow for private sector investment and more innovation in delivering a regional railway that works for its passengers.
