On 20 May, extra trains, new routes and a brand-new timetable were introduced to improve the capacity and reliability of the rail network. The time of every train on the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) network (Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services) was changed.
The changes were a disaster and many services were cancelled. The late agreement of the new timetable, and a lack of trained drivers, were the main reasons for the problems. The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling MP, announced an enquiry - and on 15 June, Charles Horton resigned as Chief Executive Officer.
- How was the new timetable agreed?
- Why did the change go ahead despite the high level of risk?
- Why did GTR not have enough drivers to fulfil the new timetable?
- What compensation will passengers get?
- How was the Department for Transport involved?
On Monday, the London Assembly Transport Committee will question GTR and Network Rail about the chaos and try to ascertain how long passengers can expect it to last.
The guests are:
- Nick Brown, Chief Operating Officer, GTR
- John Halsall, route managing director for the South-East route, Network Rail
The meeting will take place on Monday, 25 June from 11:00am in The Chamber at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE via webcast or 
YouTube
Follow us 
@LondonAssembly and take part in the meeting discussion using #AssemblyTransport #GTRChaos
Notes to editors
- Agenda Papers
- Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, is available for interview – see contact details below.
- London Assembly Transport Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.