UK Rail Market
In 1996 the UK rail industry was privatised.
Since privatisation the rail industry has been through a period of unprecedented investment by train operating companies (TOCs) and the Government. This has resulted in higher quality services which are frequent, reliable and convenient. UK rail customer satisfaction rates of around 80% and punctuality rates of around 90% are at record highs.
As the graph below shows, passenger rail has boomed since privatisation. Passenger journeys are now at levels not seen since the 1920s.
UK long term rail volume trends
UK rail market share
Our rail operation, Govia is 65% owned by Go-Ahead and 35% by Keolis. Keolis is a Franch-based operator of passenger transport services which is part owned by the French national railway SNCF.
Our rail operation is the busiest in the UK, responsible for around 30% of all rail passenger journeys. Find out more about the UK rail market in our annual report.
We operate through three franchises; Southern, Southeastern and London Midland.
In December 2009 Southeastern began operating the UK's first high speed domestic rail service between Kent and London, significantly reducing journey times. Part of this service includes the high speed 'Javelin' trains which will be a key transport provider during the 2012 London Olympics Games, taking spectators from St Pancras International to the Olympic Park.
Our three train companies have adopted the EFQM Excellence Model, a strategic quality management framework developed by EFQM (the European Foundation for Quality Management).The model is used by our TOCs as a basis for self-assessment, to help them identify opportunities for continuous ongoing improvement and to measure delivery against strategic goals. It also helps to bring consistency to management style, access good practices and drive innovation. Organisations which follow the EFQM model are awarded, through independent assessment, ‘Recognised for Excellence’ (R4E) star ratings (3, 4 or 5) based on their successful efforts to implement excellence and good practice. Southern has recently been reaccredited an ‘R4E’ 4 star rating. Southeastern and London Midland are currently undertaking the recognition process.
To find out more about EFQM and the British Quality Foundation (BQF) click here .