Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she will take to reduce reliance on rest-day working to operate timetabled passenger rail services on the Thameslink route when the operator is nationalised.

DFTO are supporting GTR in the recruitment of additional Thameslink drivers, which will assist in reducing reliance on rest day working. There have been over 50 new drivers on the GTR network since July 2024, with further drivers currently being trained. As a result, cancellations related to traincrew availability continue to decrease, with Thameslink seeing a 30% reduction in 2025 and a strong start to 2026.