Rail Company Promises MP 'To Get it Right'

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 15th Jan 2004

Last week MP Vincent Cable met the Managing Director of South West Trains, Andrew Haines, had his staff at the House of Commons to express the frustration of local commuters at the poor quality of local rail services. the latest figures show that 30% of SW Trains services are unacceptably late - i.e. overdue by more than five minutes - and commuters face an above inflation fare rise in the New Year.

Andrew Haines told Vincent Cable that the company had reduced delays attributable to SW Trains by 18% in 2003 but this improvement had been offset by declining performance by Railtrack; 250 new drivers had been recruited in the last five years; a new force of 19 travel safe officers would soon be based in the borough to increase security on trains; and the stock of suburban trains (455) would soon be fully refurbished.

Vincent Cable aid: "The service on offer is very poor and the train operators - who are highly profitable - must accept their share of responsibility. eight years after rail privatisation there is still a lack of clarity as to who is responsible for what with companies blaming each other".

"I try to be positive about the improvements - like the new Desiro trains - but as a commuter myself I share with thousands of other residents the endless frustration of trains which are late, missing, over crowded and often filthy".