PRESS RELEASE

CAROLINE SECURES URGENT SUMMIT WITH RAIL MINISTER AND TRAIN BOSSES

NEWS COMES AMID CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT PRESTON PARK SERVICES

CAROLINE has helped secure an urgent summit with the Rail Minister and train bosses.

The news comes as the Brighton Pavilion MP met early morning commuters today in a campaign against cuts to local services.

She was at Preston Park station, which has already suffered a reduction in the frequency of trains and where new timetable arrangements could pose a threat to services in future. Caroline launched a petition against the changes last week.

Earlier this month, amid further fare hikes and continued rail chaos for passengers across the South East, Caroline called on Rail bosses and Railways Minister Claire Perry MP to meet for urgent roundtable talks.

The talks are due to take place early next month, with the Minister and senior managers of Southern and Thameslink (GTR), Network Rail, the Office of Rail Regulation.

Caroline said she was pleased the Minister had heard her concerns. At the meeting, Caroline will seek urgent improvements to services and swift compensation for passengers affected by recent disruption.

On cuts to Preston Park services, Caroline added: “Our community stations are a daily essential for many local residents and I want to protect and improve both peak and off peak trains through the station. We need investment that allows everyone to enjoy regular, affordable reliable train services. As it stands, private rail shareholders are pocketing profits instead of them being reinvested in services.”

She added: “We need immediate, practical action to improve services – but the only real long term solution to poor services and high fares is to bring them back into public ownership.”

ENDS

• The consultation period for the new timetable ends on January 30.

•  You can sign the petition here: http://www.carolinelucas.com/save-preston-park-trains

• Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which already runs the Thameslink train services and will run Southern services from July 2015, are preparing for a brand new timetable that will run from 2018, when the full Thameslink Programme works are complete. The changes include the loss of some services to and from Preston Park. Some of these changes are happening already, others will happen from December 2015 and yet more in 2018.