Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) says its work with communities and partner organisations generated more than £208.6m in independently validated social value during 2025/26.
The figures are included in the operator’s latest Social Impact Report, which outlines activity across London and the South East aimed at improving access to employment, supporting safer and more confident travel, and connecting people with mental health and other support services.
Support for passengers and vulnerable people
GTR’s frontline colleagues carried out 203 life-saving interventions during the year, while nearly 700 staff completed suicide prevention and safeguarding training. More than 3,500 colleagues took part in fundraising and awareness activity for Mind, raising £75,000. Mental health campaigns across the network reached more than 14 million people.
The operator assisted 202,843 passenger journeys requiring accessibility support, a 23% increase on the previous year. This included more than 139,000 turn-up-and-go journeys, up 40%.
GTR said more than 2,200 customer-facing colleagues had received disability equality training. It also highlighted the installation of Auracast hearing assistance technology at Brighton station and the expansion of its Try a Train programme, which helps disabled passengers build confidence in travelling independently.
Jobs, skills and local communities
A total of 708 GTR colleagues were completing apprenticeships across 18 programmes during the year. The operator also worked with schools, colleges and community organisations on STEM and employability initiatives, and said it would expand routes into rail employment and training through its Rail Youth Promise.
GTR awarded 70% of its contracts in the last financial year to small and medium-sized enterprises, with spending exceeding £109m.
Through its Your Station, Your Community programme, the company invested £480,000 in 26 community-led projects. The projects supported people experiencing mental health challenges, survivors of domestic abuse, young people facing barriers to employment, disabled people and initiatives addressing social exclusion and anti-social behaviour.
The Rail Social Value Tool, developed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and Network Rail, assessed the combined impact of the projects at more than £208.6m. GTR said this equated to approximately £352 of social value for every £1 invested.
Safety and environmental measures
GTR completed the rollout of more than 1,500 body-worn cameras across frontline teams. It reported 727 fewer verbal assaults against colleagues wearing the devices and a 5% reduction in anti-social behaviour incidents across the network.
The operator also reported a 12% reduction in emissions from its own operations and suppliers, alongside lower energy use across stations, offices and depots. A new approach to monitoring train energy use contributed to savings of £500,000.
Myriam Walburger, corporate affairs director at GTR, said: “Railways do far more than connect people with places. We help create opportunity, strengthen communities, and contribute to growth that is accessible, inclusive and felt across our network.”
Tom Hall, social sustainability principal at RSSB, said GTR was “embedding social impact into how they run the railway” and that its programmes provided an example of how the industry could better understand and communicate its wider contribution to society.
GTR said social value would account for 10% of the evaluation weighting for contracts worth more than £5m from 2026/27. It also plans to expand community partnerships, continue its work with Mind and increase opportunities for young people through the Rail Youth Promise.