Chris Grayling MP
Secretary of State
Date: 08.05.18
Dear Chris,
May Day Bank Holiday Chaos on Southern services to Brighton
I am writing to you regarding the dangerous chaos caused at Gatwick and the appalling delays and lack of service for passengers attempting to use Southern services on the Brighton Main Line over the recent May Day bank holiday weekend.
As you will be aware, passengers reported the "absolute chaos" at Gatwick Airport because of overcrowding on rail replacement services on the Brighton mainline. Southern’s ‘don’t travel to Brighton’ message beggars belief on a May Day bank holiday and I know that our local tourism industry will have been appalled. As a passenger said “It is a May bank holiday. People want to go to London. People want to go to Brighton. It’s not rocket science.” Network Rail reported that people were left waiting two hours to board replacement buses and the overcrowding at the station sounded extremely dangerous.
I am writing to you because people are tired of Southern’s failures and they want some real accountability. As we all know this is not a normal franchise but a management contract, where the DfT are pulling the strings. Given this, I call on you, as Secretary of State, to show some leadership. What is the point of the DfT’s meddling in this franchise if we still end up with dangerous and chaotic delays and cancelled services at predictably busy times? Hiding behind the failed GTR management is simply not good enough and it is time that you stepped in openly, and offered passengers some direct and genuine answers.
Where was the planning? What information did DfT Ministers ask for in advance of these badly timed works? What directions did they give? What involvement did the Department have as the chaos unfolded? How will you be holding Southern to account? They should be stripped of the franchise.
This kind of dangerous shambles is totally unacceptable and passengers are left feeling that our trains are being run by an incompetent company, overseen by an incompetent Government.
I should be grateful for your response to this letter and to know what steps you will be personally taking to ensure nothing like this happens again.
Yours sincerely,
Caroline
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