Southeastern train services taken over by government

Southeastern has handed over the running of its services to the Operator of Last Resort

Southeastern's train services have been taken over by the government.

Franchise holder Govia was informed of the decision last month after failing to declare more than £25m of taxpayer funding.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the Operator of Last Resort would take over the running to protect taxpayers' interests.

Passengers are unlikely to see any immediate changes as trains, timetables and fares will stay the same.

Southeastern's vast network includes London, Kent, East Sussex and the High Speed 1 line.

The franchise was owned by Govia - a joint venture between Go-Ahead Group and Keolis.

The government stepped in after an investigation by the Department for Transport (DfT) identified Govia had not declared millions of pounds of historic taxpayer funding.

The DfT said the money had since been reclaimed.

Further investigations are being conducted and the government is considering more action, including financial penalties.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said: "Passengers will want a punctual, reliable, clean train, with enough room to sit and stand, and value for money fares."

Cat Hobbs, director of public ownership campaign group We Own It, said "privatisation is failing our railway" and called for the whole rail network to be brought into public hands "where it belongs".

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].