22.07.16
Calls for TfL to take over Southern if services not restored within a month
The troubled Southern franchise should be taken over by Transport for London (TfL) if services are not restored within a month, London TravelWatch has said.
Following widespread delays, Southern has introduced an emergency timetable that cancelled 341 services a day for the next four weeks, although it has since restored 16 of them.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has said TfL should take over the franchise from its current operators Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).
Stephen Locke, chair of London TravelWatch, said: “At the end of the four week period, it is essential that the DfT and Southern carry out a swift review of progress. If it is not possible to reinstate the 341 lost services at this point, they should take up the welcome offer from the mayor of London to make Transport for London's operational expertise available to help turn the service round.
“Southern’s passengers have suffered enough. The situation is urgent, and now is the time to make full use of the strategic agreement between DfT and TfL announced earlier this year.”
But Paul Maynard, the newly appointed minister for rail, has refused to give a date on when he expects Southern services to be restored to normal.
A GTR spokesperson said that the restored services have been hit this week by circumstances outside GTR’s control, including overrun engineering works on Monday, a hole caused by a collapsing sewer that closed lines into London Bridge on Tuesday, and multiple signal failures.
They added: “Right now, at GTR, all our focus is on resolving the immediate issues to restore the service that passengers rightly expect, not arguments about political control. We apologise unreservedly to passengers for the quality of service they’re presently experiencing. We are committed to a long-term franchise, reporting to the DfT”
Charles Horton, CEO of GTR, and other GTR staff met with Southern passengers at an event at London Victoria yesterday morning to try to address their frustration at the delays.
12.15pm UPDATE
RMT, which has led strikes on Southern over the introduction of driver-operated only services, has called for the Southern franchise to be taken off GTR immediately and given to Directly Operated Railways.
Mick Cash, general secretary of RMT, said: “There is no excuse whatsoever for the Government wasting any more time in pulling the plug on the basket-case Govia Thameslink operation. It has failed, it continues to fail and they should be terminated with immediate effect."
(Image c. Lauren Hurley from PA Wire and Press Association Images)
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