Grant Shapps: I’ll remove operators that fail to run trains on time

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has warned London’s rail firms that he “won’t hesitate” to remove operators that fail to run punctual services.

The Cabinet minister spoke out as the Department for Transport prepared to intervene to protect passengers suffering delays and chaos on Northern Rail.

“As a frustrated commuter myself, I believe commuters have a right to expect their trains to run on time,” said Mr Shapps. “Nothing less will do.

“That is why I won’t hesitate to strip franchises that fail to make trains turn up and it is the reason why this government intends to simplify the way railways are run in order to put passengers first.”

A decision on Northern was being announced to Parliament in measures that ministers say will make the system more passenger-focused.

The Department for Transport was set to either hand a new short-term contract to franchise holder Arriva or to nationalise services by putting the government-controlled Operator of Last Resort (OLR) in charge.

Similar options are being considered for South Western Railway, which Mr Shapps last week said was no longer “sustainable in the long term”.

Virgin Trains’ East Coast franchise was taken over by the OLR in June 2018.

Southern changed timetables for its services after repeated delays during engineering works at London Bridge.

Passenger group London TravelWatch said SWR and London Northwestern services were suffering the most delays at the moment.

“One way we think rail services could be made more accountable would be by devolving responsibility for procuring and monitoring them,” said director of policy and investigations Tim Bellenger.

Just 55 per cent of scheduled train stops were made within one minute of the timetable by SWR between December 8 and January 4, according to industry figures.

Read more

London trains are worst for value, major rail survey shows

Over half of women ‘victims of sex harassment' on London transport

How much has been spent on the HS2 and what is the proposed route?

Man stabbed repeatedly on London train in front of shocked passengers