Press Release 

It's high time companies were held accountable for the services we rely on... 

Caroline will meet the Railways Minister and train bosses on Monday for an urgent summit on recent train chaos.

Early in January, amid further fare hikes and continued disruptions for passengers across the South East, Caroline called for the meeting between MPs and rail bosses.

She pressed Rail Minister, Claire Perry MP, to do more to hold the companies to account by ensuring the roundtable meeting took place. She also urged a review of compensation arrangements to ensure higher rates were made available to passengers experiencing long-term disruption to journeys, and spoke with Network Rail about overcrowding at London Bridge station. She said it should be an “absolute priority to improve services for passengers now”.  

Caroline has called on Brighton passengers to pass her their questions and experiences to relay to rail bosses.

She said: “It’s high time rail bosses were held accountable for the services we rely on. We need accountability and transparency and passengers at the heart of our railways - and that’s simply not been the case. We’re paying ever more for what, for many, has become a daily misery. I’m pleased the Railways Minister has agreed to this roundtable – it’s crucial we see urgent improvements, and then address the bigger picture – that, ultimately, the only long term solution to poor services and high fares is to bring them back into public ownership.”

Caroline added: “The redevelopment of London Bridge is a very welcome, but my constituents fear the years of upheaval ahead. I want assurances at this summit that overcrowding and disruption will be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Caroline’s Railways Bill receives its Second Reading in Parliament on February 27

Caroline is campaigning against potential cuts to services at Preston Park station in Brighton. The station has already suffered a reduction in the frequency of trains and new timetable arrangements could pose a threat to services in future.

Fares are increasing far faster than wages. Regulated ticket prices have risen by over 20 per cent under the Coalition Government. Average wages are expected to have risen by just 6.9 per cent. For local and national figures and policy clarification, see this briefing from the Campaign for Better Transport

The Rebuilding Rail report, published by Transport for Quality of Life, conservatively estimates that around £1.2bn is lost each year as a result of fragmentation and privatisation

Private rail companies remain dependent upon public subsidies to run their services. But these same companies can then turn over up to an estimated 90% of their operating profits to shareholders