Southeastern: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Se Trains Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Dft Operator Limited. In the year to March 2026 Se Trains Limited reported turnover of £1,274m.
- Registered name
- SE TRAINS LIMITED
- Company number
- 03266762
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 22 October 1996
- Registered office area
- South East London
- Industry code on the register
- 49100: Land transport and transport via pipelines
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to March 2026, filed 7 September 2026
What does Southeastern do?
Southeastern is the train operator running commuter and regional rail services across Kent, south-east London and parts of East Sussex, including high-speed services from London St Pancras. It has been publicly owned since 2021, operating under a contract with the Department for Transport. Under this arrangement the government takes the fare income and covers the costs, while the operator is paid a fee to run the service. Its main London terminals include Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Victoria and St Pancras.
In brief: train operator · Kent and south-east London · high-speed services · publicly owned
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: southeasternrailway.co.uk.
Who owns Southeastern?
The Companies House register records Dft Operator Limited as the person with significant control of Se Trains Limited, company number 03266762. Dft Operator Limited is itself company number 07141122.
That places Se Trains Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Southeastern?
The Companies House register lists 7 current officers for Se Trains Limited.
All 7 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Bianca Straun | 17 October 2021 |
| Richard Charles Vyvyan Harrison | 17 October 2021 |
| Stephen Edwin White | 17 October 2021 |
| Paul Richard Barlow | 20 June 2022 |
| Karishma Vyas | 14 July 2022 |
| Alexander John Hynes | 5 January 2026 |
| James David Richards | 23 April 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Southeastern file?
Se Trains Limited reported turnover of £1,274m in the year to March 2026. That was up 0.9% on £1,262m the year before.
It reported 4,992 employees. The year before it reported 4,629.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £14m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £10m the year before.
Staff costs came to £310m. That is an average of £62,000 a head. It ended the year with £60m at the bank and net assets of £22m. It paid dividends of £15m.
| Measure | Mar 2026 | Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £1,274m | £1,262m |
| Pre-tax profit | £14m (filed) | £10m (filed) |
| Employees | 4,992 | 4,629 |
| Staff costs | £310m | £275m |
| Average staff cost per head | £62,000 | £59,000 |
| Bank and cash | £60m | £84m |
| Net assets | £22m | £26m |
| Dividends paid | £15m | |
| Interest paid | £11m | |
| Interest received | £2m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.6m |
Read the accounts to March 2026 on Companies House, where every set of accounts the company has filed can be downloaded as a PDF.
Southeastern files as Se Trains Limited, whose person with significant control is Dft Operator Limited, with turnover of £1,274m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Southeastern
What does Southeastern do?
Southeastern is the train operator running commuter and regional rail services across Kent, south-east London and parts of East Sussex, including high-speed services from London St Pancras. It has been publicly owned since 2021, operating under a contract with the Department for Transport. Under this arrangement the government takes the fare income and covers the costs, while the operator is paid a fee to run the service. Its main London terminals include Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Victoria and St Pancras.
Who owns Southeastern?
The Companies House register records Dft Operator Limited as the person with significant control of Se Trains Limited.
How much does Southeastern make?
Se Trains Limited reported turnover of £1,274m in the year to March 2026. It filed a pre-tax profit of £14m.
How many people work at Southeastern?
Se Trains Limited reported 4,992 employees in the year to March 2026.
Who runs Southeastern?
The Companies House register lists 7 current officers for Se Trains Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Se Trains Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 03266762, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Southeastern: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 28 September 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/southeastern/. Figures from Companies House filings for SE TRAINS LIMITED (03266762).
More from Spark Intel
Battle
The battle of the train operators: turnover, profit and staff compared
Read →Company profile
Heathrow: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profile
GWR: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profile
Manchester Airports Group: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profiles
Every company profile, by sector
Read →VS Series
Every VS comparison: two businesses, settled with accounts
Read →Bright Sparks