Southeastern

An MP has called for a Commons debate on the ‘lamentable’ value for money offered by train company Southeastern.

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Orpington MP Jo Johnson called on his peers in the House to discuss the service offered in light of inflation-busting fare rises of almost 13 per cent.

Season ticket holders in Beckenham and Orpington who commute to London saw hikes of 12.8 per cent and 12.71 per cent respectively when Southeastern put their prices up at the beginning of the month.

Speaking in the House on Friday Mr Johnson said: “Is it possible for the House to debate the lamentable value for money of commuter rail services provided by Southeastern?

“Its fares are massive. They have just risen by a higher rate than any other operator in the country to the outrage of my constituents in Orpington and doubtless those of many other MPs in the franchise region.”

He was then told by Leader of the House, George Young that there would be an opportunity to question the Transport Secretary Philip Hammond next Thursday.

But Mr Young added: “The comprehensive spending review provided a generous settlement for rail investment. That has to be funded and I think it is legitimate to look to travellers to pay their part in funding that investment.”

MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, Bob Neill chastised Southeastern for its performance during December’s snowfall.

A letter he wrote to the company on December 7 stated: “One of your company’s biggest failings, aside from the inability to keep routes running adequately, was the unsatisfactory level of communication with passengers. A complete lack of any accurate or helpful information about trains made it extremely difficult for customers to make informed decisions about their journey plans.

“I am not interested in hearing why the service and levels of communication by your company were so shambolic. Rather, I trust that you can inform me of the actions you are now taking to ensure that there is no repeat of last week’s debacle. I cannot overstate the extent of the anger amongst my constituents.”

A spokesperson for Southeastern said: “We meet with all our stakeholders, including MPs, on a regular basis and take the opportunity to explain any issues they may have.

“Nobody likes to pay more for fares but there are only two sources of funding to run the railways, the taxpayer and the farepayer.

“It is Government policy to reduce the burden of running the railway to the taxpayer, through reduced subsidy to train operators, and increasing fares to make up the difference, as the cost of running the railways does not change.”