Rail service disruption continues

Emergency timetables introduced earlier this month have failed to end train service cancellations on the Northern and Thameslink franchises. Northern’s emergency timetable for services in the north-west of England is in place from 4 June to 31 July with bus replacements on some lines. Open access operator West Coast Railways has launched a temporary service on the Oxenholme-Windermere line, on which Northern has withdrawn all services. Charles Horton, the chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates the Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern franchise, has announced that he will resign within the next few weeks because of the problems implementing the revamped Thameslink timetable last month.