Maria Eagle, shadow transport secretary, speaking to students at City Academy, Norwich.
Shadow minister warns of Norfolk rail franchising ‘shambles’
By DAN GRIMMER
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
6:30 AM
Train users in East Anglia are set for chaos and confusion because of the government’s handling of the refranchising of the region’s rail services, a shadow minister has warned.
And Norfolk’s hopes of cashing in on the Olympic Games in London could also be affected because of the timing of the award of a contract to a new operator, according to Maria Eagle, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for transport.
Three firms – Abellio Greater Anglia, Eastern Railway and Stagecoach Anglia Trains – have been shortlisted for the Greater Anglia franchise, which is currently run by National Express, but is due to be taken over by a new operator in February 2012 for a 17-month period.
Ministers last week set out how they expect the company which wins the franchise to improve services between Norwich to London and to invest in new trains to carry people to and from the 2012 Olympics.
But Ms Eagle, who was visiting Norwich yesterday to speak at a conference held by transport workers’ union TSSA (Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association) and to meet students at City Academy Norwich and Easton College, warned East Anglian travellers could be in for disruption and rising fares.
She attacked the government’s decision to only award a short-term East Anglian franchise ahead of awarding a longer-term 10-year award after 2013.
She said: “The government’s rail franchising policy is a total shambles. Refranchising the East Anglia train contract twice in the next two years means passengers could see three different owners in three years, just because the transport secretary needs another year to get his rail policy sorted.
“Customers in East Anglia deserve better than the chaos and confusion this will bring and the taxpayer deserves better than the huge waste of money caused by chopping and changing operators.
“Changing the franchise operators so frequently is likely to lead to cost increases and the usual teething problems and yes, that will hit the Olympics.”
She added the report into railways by Sir Roy McNulty, due later this week, was likely to give rail companies more power to set their own fares.
And she warned: “The government has already loosened its grip on fare regulation and said that fares can go up by 3pc above the retail price index, which is a broken promise.”
She also said Norfolk train users could suffer from the reinstatement of the “flex” system, which allows companies to make rarely-used routes cheaper to balance out bigger increases to commuter journeys while still meeting the government caps for fare increases.
But a Department for Transport spokesman said: “There are no changes to fares in the short extension to the Greater Anglia franchise.
“We are letting the Greater Anglia franchise under a 17-month franchise to allow time for reforms in Sir Roy McNulty’s Value for Money review which will benefit passengers to be built into the subsequent longer-term franchise.”
dan.grimmer@archant.co.uk
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11 comments
The railways have been in a complete and utter mess since they were privatised, yes by a Tory government. Some have short memories when it suits.
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John L Norton
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
And where are the reduced fares we were promised under both David Cameron and Nick Clegg? The cost has risen sharply, but no example of better customer service, or cheaper fares.
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anglia_squared
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Where is all of those opposition MPs who were in and out of the newspapers criticising our railways before they came to power? Now if they cannot take a pop at Labour they're not interested in the stories.
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anglia_squared
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Just another example of how quickly people forget what a mess labour left us all in. But its no surprise, when such large numbers of electorate still voted Labour at the recent elections!!!!!!
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commonsense!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Agree its amazing how quickly both the previous government, and come to that the electorate at large, have forgotten where the blame for many problems that have now been left to the coalition to sort out actual come from - 13 years of Labour!
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commonsense!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
N&G - I think you'll find that the shambolic system we have for diverting passenger income and taxpayer subsidy direct into the pockets of Train leasing Companies, and Train Operating Companies was introuduced by the Conservatives. Yes - if we had had a proper Labour government they would have put the railways back into public ownership, but it was still the Tories who did the deed!
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Chris Booty
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
It's a bit rich for Maria Eagle to say THIS government's rail franchising is a total shambles - it's the total shambles they took over from YOUR government Ms Eagle! Labour had 13 years to sort out transport (plus, of course, health, education, law and order, etc etc) but were incapable of doing so.
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Norfolk and Good
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The further errosion of our rail system into ever smaller companies unable to coordinate and work together is not helping train users. Still they are paying the highest prices in Europe for the worst services. Nationalisation imho is the only meanigfull and responsible step to take.
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ingo wagenknecht
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The cost of the change of livery must be enormous,and its happened so many times,yet the same staff and management carry on their duties as before,just a change of uniform! We need the infra structure to be maintained at a high level.for its Signal Failures,Stolen Cable and so on which creates the majority of delays,and not the train operator
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Albert Cooper
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Re-nationalise the lot it has been a complete and utter expensive mess since privatisation.
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John L Norton
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Just who his she to comment. Her last Labour government presided over it all and did nothing for Norfolk or our rail links. She is the cause of the problems not the solution.
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Johnny Norfolk
Tuesday, May 17, 2011