Case Study Type: Safety

Pre-nationalisation in May 2026, Go-Ahead, through our Govia joint venture with Keolis, ran the largest and most complex rail franchise in the UK for over two decades. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) carries roughly one in five of every rail journey made in Britain, through London and much of the South East. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people rely on GTR to travel into and across the capital on services that connect Brighton, Cambridge, Peterborough, Gatwick and dozens of towns in between. 

Govia, the joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis, has been operating commuter rail since 1996. Govia took on Southern in 2001, absorbed Gatwick Express in 2008, and were awarded the combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise in 2014. GTR comprises of four operating brands, that together carried around 279 million passenger journeys a year. 

• Thameslink: North-south services through the heart of London, running up to 24 trains an hour through the central core. 
• Southern: The south London commuter network, connecting the capital with Sussex, the south coast and the Surrey suburbs. 
• Great Northern : Connects north London to Cambridge, Peterborough and King’s Lynn, including the recently digitised Northern City Line. 
• Gatwick Express: The dedicated express service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.

Modernising one of the country’s oldest fleets 

A railway is only as good as the trains that run on it. Between 2014-2019, GTR’s £2 billion train modernisation programme replaced ageing rolling stock with more than 1,500 new carriages – turning what had been one of the UK’s oldest fleets into one of its most modern. 

New Class 700s entered service on Thameslink, new Class 717s replaced 40-year-old trains on Great Northern, and a new Class 387 fleet was rolled out across Gatwick Express. For customers, that meant air conditioning, better accessibility, real-time travel information and Wi-Fi becoming the standard rather than the exception. 

GTR was also the first mainline operator in the UK to introduce digital signalling, on the Thameslink core in 2019, and went on to lead the £2 billion East Coast Digital Programme –  Britain’s first major brownfield digital signalling project. The £100 million Project Aurora upgrade brought live CCTV and remote diagnostics to fleets across the network, helping crews fix issues before they affected customers or delayed services. 

All of this was delivered alongside the £6 billion Thameslink Programme (2009-2020), which expanded London’s rail capacity by 50% through the rebuilding of London Bridge, modernising of stations from Kings Cross to Gatwick, and bringing in new signalling. 

Social value: a railway that showed up for its communities 

At Go-Ahead, customers sit at the centre of our values. That is why so much of our work on GTR went into improving and innovating across the passenger experience, to make travel easier and more convenient for the millions of people who relied on the network every day, with a more welcoming journey from start to finish. 

• Pre-booked assistance journeys grew from 55,000 to 74,000 in two years between 2023-2025, providing a more accessible service for customers with additional needs. 
• Customer satisfaction climbed to 90% on Great Northern and 83% on Southern. 
• Staff training enabled nearly 600 suicide prevention interventions across the network from 2019 onwards. 
• Through the Your Station, Your Community fund, GTR backed local charities working on mental health, education, employability and the environment.

Economic value: investment that landed locally 

GTR pioneered industry-leading methods for measuring and reporting social value. In GTR’s final Social Impact Report (December 2024 to March 2025), 72% of contracts were awarded to small and medium enterprises, generating £1.58 million in additional value and strengthening local economic participation. 

That sat alongside billions of pounds of investment delivered into Britain’s rail infrastructure: new fleets, signalling, stations and digital systems, with much of it delivered through UK suppliers. 

A legacy to be proud of 

After more than a decade running the busiest railway in the country, Go-Ahead helped turn one of the most demanding networks in Europe into a more modern, more reliable and more welcoming railway for the millions of people who depended on it every day. 

With more passengers carried, more journeys modernised and more communities better connected, this is the legacy we are proud to have delivered. 

At Go-Ahead we are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for both our customers and colleagues, as they work and travel across our networks.

Pre nationalisation, we ran GTR, who operates one of the UK’s largest and most complex rail network. Safety is the foundation on which GTR builds this network, with a ‘zero harm’ approach – believing that all safety related accidents and operational incidents are preventable. GTR has delivered unique campaigns to ensure both customers and colleagues are aware of potential risks and empowered to make safe choices.

Encouraging safe behaviour in customers

GTR leverages creative media campaigns as an effective way to reach passengers, capturing attention and driving awareness about safe travel behaviours.

Spotlight: Festive safety campaign

The festive season sees an increase in passenger accidents caused by slippery conditions, rushing, and intoxication. To tackle this, GTR’s 2024 campaign shared ‘12 tips of Christmas safety,’ launched strategically on the busiest day for Christmas parties. The initiative featured elves handing out ‘Christmas party survival kits’ at key London stations, alongside a video highlighting safety concerns which gained significant TV, radio, and social media attention.

Key results:

• Campaign reach: 286 million
• 7% year-on-year reduction in customer accidents.

Spotlight: Promoting safety around tracks

In June 2023, GTR launched a Rail Safety Week campaign to address the growing number of passengers risking their lives retrieving dropped items from tracks. Using a playful adaptation of the children’s song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” – reimagined as “Head, Shoulders, Keys and Phone” – the campaign reinforced the message to keep belongings secure. Featuring children’s voices for impact, the campaign created a memorable “earworm” for passengers.

Key results:

• Campaign reach: 6.5 million
• Winner of the 2024 PRCA Transport Campaign of the Year award.

Safety at work: Looking out for colleagues

It is equally important that colleagues experience a safe and supportive working environment.

Tackling antisocial behaviour

To address a significant rise in antisocial behaviour, GTR launched the Antisocial Behaviour Improvement Plan. The plan introduced practical measures to enhance colleague safety and improve incident handling, including:

• Deployment of over 1,500 body-worn video cameras, ensuring all customer-facing colleagues have access during their shifts.
• A more than 100% increase in Travel Safe Officers, strategically deployed using incident data to reassure staff and passengers.
• Monthly security updates, including success stories of prosecutions and joint operations with the British Transport Police (BTP).
• Guide to personal security supplied to all colleagues, with advice and tips on handling difficult situations which compliments existing training.
• Enhanced training and aftercare processes, with a focus on colleague feedback and support.
• Dedicated school engagement to strengthen relationships with youth groups across the network.
• Improved evidence collection to support prosecutions, including high-quality footage and witness statements.

“Taking care of ourselves and others is at the heart of our Zero Harm ambition. We want all of our colleagues to come to work without fear of violence and we want our passengers to be able to use our network safely.” Samantha Facey Health, Safety & Security Director

Since the plan’s launch, reports of antisocial behaviour have steadily declined, with 60% of reported incidents classified as low-risk.

Promoting colleague wellbeing

In response to findings from the 2024 Safety Culture survey, where 48% of colleagues felt health and wellbeing were not prioritised, GTR introduced the Your Guide to Personal Wellness. Highlights of the campaign included:

• Personalised guides sent to colleagues’ homes, complemented by five hidden golden tickets offering prizes.
• Internal promotions reaching over 5,000 colleagues.
• Sponsorship by Chief Medical Officer Dr Danielle Eaton, demonstrating leadership support for wellness initiatives.

Safeguarding on rail: Accreditation of safety standards 

In October 2024, GTR achieved a 95% score in the Safeguarding on Rail accreditation, an improvement of 3% on the previous year. This accreditation, assessed by the BTP, recognises GTR’s efforts in:

• Robust safeguarding policies, including background checks and community engagement.
• Information and support provided to vulnerable colleagues, customers, and railway users.
• Leadership engagement and collaboration with local BTP teams.

The success of these initiatives is reflected in their impressive reach among both customers and colleagues, as well as a notable reduction in incidents. This progress is underpinned by the 2023 and 2024 Safeguarding on Rail accreditations, reinforcing an unwavering commitment to safety and security.