Articles and Speeches

Railway Delays
31-Mar-06, Windsor Express Article.

Rail standards have been in steady decline for some time and it is understandable that local residents are frustrated that the London service gets slower, less reliable and more overcrowded with every passing year.

Unfortunately for commuters, the fall in standards has not been matched by any kind of decrease in fares; rather fares have increased steadily, making commuting by train into London an expensive way to travel.

Since 1997, a central theme of the government’s transport policy has been to take more cars off the roads and persuade people to use the public transport network. It therefore seems illogical that the proposed timetable for services from Windsor into London will reduce the number of fast peak-time services and lengthen journey times.

Just five minutes added to a train journey, could well be the tipping point that persuades people to travel by car instead.

So I was delighted to secure a debate in Parliament this week into commuter and rural rail services and the delays experienced. I had the opportunity to ask the Minister whether he accepted that the Government’s transport policy is not doing enough to persuade people to use the railways instead of their cars…there seems to be a delay in receiving an answer – qu’elle surprise!