Anne Main MP has welcomed the transport secretary Chris Grayling’s announcement today that the government wants to integrate the train services and infrastructure.
Mr Grayling outlined the government’s plans to reform, stating that ‘every monopoly needs competition’ and that Network Rail ‘has been too cumbersome, has not always been an unqualified success in delivering the upgrades our railways needs; and needs to focus more on passengers.’
‘I welcome the secretary of state’s announcement,’ said Mrs Main ‘and his drive to put passengers first. Commuters need trains to be reliable and operators accountable. When you have a train company operating completely separately from rail, it’s difficult to know who’s at fault.’
‘Network Rail have not shown themselves as being a guardian of rails in the UK and have instead shown a complete disregard for passenger services.’
The St Albans MP hit out at Network Rail’s handling of the Radlett railfreight, saying that ‘as a local MP, I can think of no better example than their [Network Rail’s] handling of railfreight. There just hasn’t been the work done to show us how freight will affect passenger services in St Albans. It’s simply not good enough.’
Mrs Main wrote to Network Rail expressing her concerns over its lack of silence about constructing the rail infrastructure necessary for the Radlett SRFI nearly a month ago now. Network Rail is yet to respond. ‘I’ve always had deep misgivings about Network Rail’s ability to provide the upgrades needed for freight on the line, so these changes are necessary and long overdue.’
Back in 2012, Mrs Main held a well-attended Westminster Hall debate to express her dissatisfaction with Network Rail, and their inability to put passengers first. In it she said,
‘It is a simple premise that to deliver an efficient, mobile work force, we need a decent, well-run and affordable rail transport service. People of all ages expect a rail service fit for the 21st century. The travelling public are being asked to pay ever more for their rail fares, and we must ask serious questions about the services they are experiencing up and down the country.’