Hertford North train services nationalised

Govia Thameslink has become the latest train company to be nationalised after the government took control of services at yesterday.

Services will now be run by the goverment's Department for Transport  and will later be integrated in to Great British Railways.

Train timetables, fares and staffing will be unaffected by the change, with the new body retaining the train company's website.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "From this Sunday, millions of passengers across the South East and East of England will be travelling on rail services back in public hands - run for the public good, not private profit.

"Bringing Britain's largest train operator into public ownership is a defining moment in our reform of the railway.

"It gives us an opportunity to tackle the bread and butter issues people want, like driving down cancellations and improving the frequency of services to Gatwick Airport.

"As we set up Great British Railways (GBR), we’re putting passengers first, fixing what’s broken, and delivering a railway people can rely on."

Govia Thameslink chief operating officer John Whitehurst said: "This is a railway that carries millions of people to work, to school, and to see friends and family every single day.

"From this Sunday every one of them will be on a publicly owned service, which is a responsibility we take seriously and one we have been preparing for.

"We have spent the past year building the foundations, and bringing even deeper integration into our operations with Network Rail, with a single focus on what’s right for our customers and communities.

"That work means customers are already getting a railway that’s been transforming, and public ownership gives us the chance to go further to deliver the railway that millions of people across the South East deserve."

There is speculation that services at Hertford North will later be transferred to Transport For London (TfL).

Services at Hertford East were nationalised on 12th October last year.