The response of the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin, which was promised within two weeks of Crispin Blunt’s meeting with him on 20th January to discuss the deterioration of rail services from Redhill and Reigate to London Bridge, was yesterdayfinally received by Reigate MP, Crispin Blunt.
Crispin Blunt has replied to Patrick McLoughlin expressing his disappointment that no offer of compensation has yet been made to commuters suffering reduced and disrupted services.
Crispin Blunt commented
“I had hoped that the delay in the reply from the Transport Secretary was because we were going to get a positive response on compensation. Regrettably, like the commuters waiting for and using trains, I’ve had a delayed response and no service improvement.
“Commuters from Redhill and Reigate have had to put up with appalling service levels and they will be affected by much reduced services until 2018.
“I note that, in his letter, Patrick McLoughlin has left the door open for further consideration of compensation.
“If simple fairness is not forthcoming for long-suffering commuters, we will need to look at more direct action to reinforce our so far reasonable request for a fair deal.”
Below is the text of Crispin Blunt’s letter to Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin:
Dear Patrick,
I was grateful for your sympathetic hearing at our meeting on 20th January. I was impressed with your promise of a reply within two weeks. The day before that deadline passed, I and other Brighton mainline MPs met with Network Rail (NR) and Southern/Govia leaders under the chairmanship of Claire Perry. At the end of that meeting, which made clear the appalling service levels being endured by our commuting constituents, Claire indicated the letter might be a little late, as you were seeking a way to deal sympathetically with the request for a fare cut reflecting the unacceptable level of service. It is the proposed base service until 2018 that is unacceptable at existing fare levels. I take it as automatic that everyone is bending every sinew to improve the current operational disaster, but that will only restore matters to a much reduced service until 2018, which might run rather closer to time.
Now, nearly a fortnight after your deadline, I have received your considered reply. You will understand that I am some way beyond disappointed. My commuting constituents will be incandescent, as they are trapped on this service at the costs you impose. This will not surprise you as you know that the road alternative is not at all realistic after our two and a three quarter hour journey to Redhill on the A23 a year ago!
Having carefully explained the byzantine compensation arrangements between NR and the train operating companies (TOCs), which appear set to change in July 2015 to compensation between NR and the DfT and then reclaims by the TOCs from DfT (do explain who thought this was simpler), you then point out any claim for compensation would impact on the taxpayer.
Well, my constituents did not set up the operating arrangements. They are the ones who subsidise the rest of the network, further see a significant proportion of their taxes subsidise the rest of the country (£7.5 billion p.a. is the County’s latest estimate) as well as endure travel to work in dreadful conditions, to sustain London’s pre-eminent role in driving the UK economy. Funnily enough, they have had enough and there are now suggestions surfacing for direct, but legal, action to draw further attention to their plight, as appeals to reason and asking nicely through “Meet the Manager” meetings or my meetings with you and Claire Perry have clearly got them nowhere to date.
At least you have not closed matters off, as your letter includes the line in relation to compensation “I will consider the case but we cannot make any guarantees at this point.”
On 12th March I will attend, as President, the Redhill and Reigate Rail Users AGM. In the meantime, I will be examining the potential of a direct action campaign to better present the case for the long suffering commuters on that part of the line where the trains are so full they can’t get a seat and where the journey is still so long that this represents a serious daily discomfort. These are the Redhill and Reigate rail users, getting on at stations from Salfords to Coulsdon South and connecting in from Reigate. I hope I can present to them the result of your sympathetic further consideration. If not, I will have to present to them the plan to go on making their case but in a way that involves more than rational argument based on fairness, which will have failed.
I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Yours ever,
Crispin Blunt
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