"Standing Room Only" For Commuters In New Rail Deal

30.07.03

Improvement is marginal

Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton has today criticised parts of the Strategic Rail Authority's new agreement with South West Trains as "only offering marginal improvements for commuters" The Strategic Rail announced that it has signed a three-year franchise with incumbent Stagecoach Group plc to operate South West Trains until 2007.

While Mr Davey welcomed the fact that South West Trains would be introducing new trains to replace existing slam door carriages under the deal, he warned that the timetable for this had slipped due to delay in upgrading Network Rail's infrastructure. However Edward Davey reserved his main criticisms for omissions from the deal, with previous proposals to improve service frequency and reduce overcrowding dropped from the final deal.

Edward Davey MP commented

"We are being offered a future in which peak hour commuters will be asked to pay more to stand in crowded but more luxurious carriages and arrive consistently late for work in a little more comfort."

"The government - which controls the Strategic Rail Authority - hasn't got its priorities right. While it is more pleasant to have air conditioned, smartly upholstered trains, I think most of my fellow commuters would prefer to have a seat in a punctual and fast - even if old - train".

"The brutal truth is that rail services are now worse than they were before they were privatised just under a decade ago and there is no prospect of serious improvement despite the vast amount of public money and fare increases".

Read the full details of agreement.