Where does Southern operate?
Our services cover routes in south London, between central London and the south coast, through East and West Sussex, Surrey and parts of Kent and Hampshire.
We manage 156 stations, and our main London stations are Victoria and London Bridge. We operate around 300 new or refurbished trains, and have about 4,000 staff – mostly working on our trains or at our stations.
Who owns Southern?
In May 2026, Southern transferred into public ownership under DfT Operator Limited (DFTO).
DFTO is the Government’s rail owning group and delivery partner for its flagship Public Ownership Programme. It is responsible for bringing all the DfT-managed and privately-owned train operators into public ownership, ahead of the creation of Great British Railways (GBR).
Public ownership puts passengers at the heart of the railways. It will help to deliver an improved service to customers by enabling public sector train operators and Network Rail to be brought together under GBR to improve performance and customer experience while working to reduce subsidy, empower colleagues, and continuously prioritise safety and sustainability.
What does this mean for customers?
Public ownership of the railways will deliver an improved service to customers, by bringing together train operators and Network Rail to improve performance and the service to customers, while working to reduce subsidy, empower colleagues and continuously prioritise safety and sustainability.
Public ownership is only the first step in the journey to a better railway where customers are put first. Ultimately, all DfT-managed train operators across the country and Network Rail will operate under one banner – Great British Railways – delivering a single, integrated railway, making the railway simpler and better for everyone in Britain.
Find out more at - Great British Railways and the public ownership programme.
Corporate information
Southern is a trading name of Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited (TSGNL). Registered in England under number 12545324. Registered office1st Floor, Monument Place, 24 Monument Street, London EC3R 8AJ. TSGNL is owned by the DfT Operator Limited (DfTO)