We all hate it when trains are running late; even more so if you’re an important MP, heading to your constituency, perhaps for an important meeting.
This problem was highlighted by shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna who, annoyed by yet another late Southern Rail train, took to twitter to put the company on blast for their consistent tardiness.
“Surprise surprise…@SouthernUK train to Streatham Hill delayed. Totally shabby service. On the case – more to follow,” the popular Labour MP tweeted, with a photo of a display board showing that the train was delayed.
The rail network apologised saying the train was delayed “due to waiting for inwards stock to arrive”, however Ummuna was having none of it, highlighting the fact that over 50% of Southern rail trains are delayed.
“the latest Network Rail data shows that only 40.9% of your trains are arriving on time – there is an endemic problem here,” he continued.
Umunna has written to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, calling for an investigation into “whether Southern rail is meeting the terms of its franchise” and adding that the best solution to improving London’s rail service is to hand control over to Transport for London rather than leaving it in the hands of private franchises.
“Londoners, including my constituents, are fed up of private companies taking more and more of their hard earned cash and delivering consistently bad services- it is completely unacceptable that commuters should get such a raw deal,” Umunna stated.
“TFL have proven that they are capable of running London underground services that meet the expectations of the public, and I would like to see them running more of London’s rail services in the future.”
While the cost of getting on a train continues to go up every year, consistently good rail service is increasingly hard to find.
Last month, a delay in completing Christmas rail repairs meant hat London’s King’s Cross station remained shut for an extra day, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
Southern rail’s deputy managing director David Scorey apologised for the issues and promised that improvements are underway.
“We understand our passengers’ frustration and apologise for the levels of performance they are currently experiencing,” he told The Evening Standard.
We and Network Rail are creating a joint improvement plan for the railway to improve the reliability of the infrastructure and are working on timetable improvements to certain trains in peak times – including around London Bridge.”
