Labour and Co-operative Member of
Parliament for Kemptown and Peacehaven

Southern Rail

by Isaac Wright on 06.09.19 in Uncategorised
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The service provided on the Brighton mainline has been shambolic for too long. It is time to put the railways back under public ownership under a Labour govenment.
The service provided on the Brighton mainline has been shambolic for too long. It is time to put the railways back under public ownership under a Labour govenment.

I have long been very vocal in calling for the improvement of Southern Trains. Whilst campaigning in the General Election in June 2017, I welcomed Labour’s manifesto commitment to build a new Train line linking London and Brighton with the following statement:

“Many residents tell me of the misery of the trains to Brighton and the hit to our economy, which is in danger of crippling our city. A second line will stop our city being held to ransom by an ineffective train operator, Southern, and allow the economy and the people of Brighton to grow and prosper. It will also restore the link across Sussex to the Weald and reduce road traffic.”

My first written questions in Parliament upon election were to the Department of Transport regarding the force majeure claims for relief made by Govia Thameslink Railway for their current franchise agreement for Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern passenger services.

Furthermore, I have followed up with additional written letters to Transport Ministers in this New Year, regarding ‘continuing GTR performance’, the ‘Delay Repay passenger compensation scheme’ and more.

I was proud to stand on a Labour manifesto that laid out a vision to transform our railways for the better. Like so many other passengers, I am outraged at Southern Rail hiking its prices yet again in the New Year despite services remaining so poor, overcrowded and unreliable.
 
We deserve better than this. Our taxpayers money goes towards subsidising these private companies, who often fail to fulfil their franchises, forcing the taxpayer to bail them out. They fail to provide a regular, reliable and affordable service, and it is not acceptable. These issues with our rail highlight the abject failure of Tory policies: relentless deregulation, privatisation and fragmentation.

That is why I was proud to stand with the Labour manifesto pledge to prioritise public service over private profit, and start by bringing our railways back into public ownership. In public ownership, we can deliver real improvements for passengers by capping fares, introducing free Wi-Fi across the network, ensuring safe staffing levels, ending the expansion of driver only operations, and introducing legal duties to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. By bringing the railways back into public ownership, we can provide the regular, reliable, safe and affordable service we all deserve.

I will continue to be outspoken on the issue through campaigning for better rail services for our constituency, across the South East, and across the UK.

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Labour and Co-operative Member of
Parliament for Kemptown and Peacehaven

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