Britain’s Railways

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 11:49 am on 20 May 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Chris Loder Chris Loder Conservative, West Dorset 11:49, 20 May 2021

I support the comments made earlier by my hon. Friend Richard Drax in respect of the Yeovil south-east chord. This announcement is absolutely brilliant news: it is the first clear statement we have had in this House on radical reform to our passengers’ benefit. It will also correct Labour’s disastrous Railways Act 2005, which further separated the railway, rather than reintegrated it. When a Member of Parliament has to point out to his local train operator that 15 lights at a train station are not working and the operator still cannot fix them, something is terribly wrong with the system today. That is one example. Will my right hon. Friend assure me personally that he will not only prevent franchise boundaries from being a blocker to further through services for regional connectivity, but work with me to sort out the dreadful frequency and continual issues we have on the Heart of Wessex line, which has the worst frequency in the entirety of England?