Dear Claire,

Request for rail summit on the state of rail services between London and the South East Coast

As you will no doubt be aware, the state of rail services for people travelling between London and the South East Coast remains dire.  I am writing to request an urgent meeting with you and fellow Sussex MPs. I am receiving a steady stream of emails from constituents who are at their wits’ end.  Some face trouble with their employers for being persistently late due to their trains being cancelled several days in a row.  People are making every effort to leave with what should be more than enough spare time to get to work but the train services they pay through the nose for are so bad, some have received written warnings from their employers.

The situation is simply untenable and we cannot have more and more promises and no real progress.  Talk of improvement does not wash with the people who are actually paying for and using these services.  We need radical action – including the option of bringing these failing franchises under public control.  Such a move was successful for the East Coast Mainline, as you will of course know.

I should be grateful for a meeting as soon as possible.

Best wishes, Caroline