Commuters have been seriously let down by local rail services over the past few years. Although there have been some improvements in performance, we are still a long way off reliable rush hour trains which are good value for money. I therefore welcome the Government's consultation on the future of the south east rail network as an opportunity to call for the much needed improvements in our local rail services.
You may be pleased to see that the questions in the consultation reflect many of the issues raised by you and others who completed my rail survey. I wrote to the Rail Minister in January to urge him for more reliable trains, reduced overcrowding, and better communication about delays. These were consistently highlighted in the survey as areas that needed improvement, and I’m glad the Government is listening. Some 69% of people said that trains had become less reliable, and 58% told me that communication over delays is one of the most significant problems.
The call for suggestions for alternative routes and new connections in Kent is also particularly welcome. This could make the county better connected by rail. For example, most of the train network runs east to west in Kent, making it difficult to travel north to south. This may be an opportunity to connect towns and communities in Kent which currently can only be reached on rail by changing in London or on the east coast.
The contract for the current train service operator – Southeastern – expires in December 2018, and the Government is running a competition to decide who will run it next. As part of that it is asking members of the public for their views.
I urge constituents to feed into the Government’s consultation to ensure that our voice is heard. This is a crucial opportunity to influence the terms of the new franchise so that we benefit when it is awarded. The consultation ends on 23 May 2017. You can access the consultation here.
I would be grateful if you could share your response to the consultation, or any other comments you have about it, with me. You can reach me by email at [email protected] .
Photo credit: MattBuck
