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| Southern rail: MPs condemn ministers' failure to monitor firm Southern rail: MPs condemn ministers' failure to monitor firm | |
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| Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport lost their grip on Southern, failing to monitor the rail company properly and enforce the terms of its contract, according to a withering report by a cross-party group of MPs. | Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport lost their grip on Southern, failing to monitor the rail company properly and enforce the terms of its contract, according to a withering report by a cross-party group of MPs. |
| Concluding an inquiry into the experience of rail passengers that became dominated by the events at Southern, the transport select committee said commuters had been badly let down. | Concluding an inquiry into the experience of rail passengers that became dominated by the events at Southern, the transport select committee said commuters had been badly let down. |
| The committee said the government had failed to properly structure the franchise agreement with Southern’s operators, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Britain’s biggest and worst performing rail franchise. | The committee said the government had failed to properly structure the franchise agreement with Southern’s operators, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Britain’s biggest and worst performing rail franchise. |
| MPs said there was evidence of poor management of the franchise from the beginning, with inadequate staffing, along with rolling stock issues, prolonged industrial action and the complications of major engineering work. | MPs said there was evidence of poor management of the franchise from the beginning, with inadequate staffing, along with rolling stock issues, prolonged industrial action and the complications of major engineering work. |
| The government’s response to calls for GTR to be stripped of its franchise, the claim that no other operator could do better, was “simply not credible”, the report said. It said that the number of train cancellations on GTR’s network was substantially more than the default level, which would normally be a trigger for termination of the franchise. | The government’s response to calls for GTR to be stripped of its franchise, the claim that no other operator could do better, was “simply not credible”, the report said. It said that the number of train cancellations on GTR’s network was substantially more than the default level, which would normally be a trigger for termination of the franchise. |
| But the report said the DfT was “evasive and opaque” in addressing the question. “The answers provided to us by very senior officials … give us little confidence that it has a firm grip on the monitoring of GTR’s contractual obligations.” | But the report said the DfT was “evasive and opaque” in addressing the question. “The answers provided to us by very senior officials … give us little confidence that it has a firm grip on the monitoring of GTR’s contractual obligations.” |
| The rail company’s chief executive, Charles Horton, said: “GTR has submitted claims for force majeure to the DfT caused by the unprecedented industrial action and we have cooperated fully with what’s been asked of us at all times. We have been in discussions with the DfT to agree what and how they wanted to allow them to assess and evaluate our claims. It’s an extremely detailed process which the report accepts is ‘complex and painstaking’. These claims are currently being reviewed by the department.” | The rail company’s chief executive, Charles Horton, said: “GTR has submitted claims for force majeure to the DfT caused by the unprecedented industrial action and we have cooperated fully with what’s been asked of us at all times. We have been in discussions with the DfT to agree what and how they wanted to allow them to assess and evaluate our claims. It’s an extremely detailed process which the report accepts is ‘complex and painstaking’. These claims are currently being reviewed by the department.” |
| The report’s publication coincided with the end of the latest three-day strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union on Southern in the longrunning dispute over the future role of conductors. Talks again broke down in acrimony this week, while passengers saw two in five trains cancelled from the normal schedule, as well as suffering additional delays from overrunning engineering works. Four more 72-hour walkouts by RMT conductors are planned through the autumn. | The report’s publication coincided with the end of the latest three-day strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union on Southern in the longrunning dispute over the future role of conductors. Talks again broke down in acrimony this week, while passengers saw two in five trains cancelled from the normal schedule, as well as suffering additional delays from overrunning engineering works. Four more 72-hour walkouts by RMT conductors are planned through the autumn. |
| The chair of the transport committee, Louise Ellman, said: “Passengers must be furious – and rightly so. Passengers now contribute more than 70% of the industry’s real income, but in too many places passengers are badly serviced by train operating companies. | The chair of the transport committee, Louise Ellman, said: “Passengers must be furious – and rightly so. Passengers now contribute more than 70% of the industry’s real income, but in too many places passengers are badly serviced by train operating companies. |
| “The individual voices of customers suffering woeful service on Southern railway, in particular, came through loud and clear during our inquiry. GTR, RMT and the government are all culpable to some extent for the prolonged dispute, but passengers have borne the brunt.” | “The individual voices of customers suffering woeful service on Southern railway, in particular, came through loud and clear during our inquiry. GTR, RMT and the government are all culpable to some extent for the prolonged dispute, but passengers have borne the brunt.” |
| On Thursday, the government announced an improved compensation scheme for delayed rail passengers, with a 25% refund triggered by a 15-minute delay, to be introduced in the coming months on Southern and GTR before being rolled out nationwide. | On Thursday, the government announced an improved compensation scheme for delayed rail passengers, with a 25% refund triggered by a 15-minute delay, to be introduced in the coming months on Southern and GTR before being rolled out nationwide. |
| Ellman said she welcomed the scheme, but said it had taken ministers “some time to acknowledge” the difficulties. She added: “Now ministers need to be more hands-on with monitoring franchises and sort out the Southern railway mess in particular.” | Ellman said she welcomed the scheme, but said it had taken ministers “some time to acknowledge” the difficulties. She added: “Now ministers need to be more hands-on with monitoring franchises and sort out the Southern railway mess in particular.” |
| The report added that the current methods of measuring rail passenger satisfaction should be overhauled, suggesting it could produce “artificially high” results of satisfaction – notably a 69% score for Southern. | The report added that the current methods of measuring rail passenger satisfaction should be overhauled, suggesting it could produce “artificially high” results of satisfaction – notably a 69% score for Southern. |
| A DfT spokesman said: “We monitor closely the performance of all rail franchises and each franchise agreement contains clear penalty regimes for repeated poor performance. | A DfT spokesman said: “We monitor closely the performance of all rail franchises and each franchise agreement contains clear penalty regimes for repeated poor performance. |
| “Improving rail services for Southern passengers is a priority for the government and for the operator, and we are committed to a railway that delivers the modern, accessible and reliable service passengers expect. | “Improving rail services for Southern passengers is a priority for the government and for the operator, and we are committed to a railway that delivers the modern, accessible and reliable service passengers expect. |
| “Simply changing the management or taking the franchise from GTR would not address the issues and would only create uncertainty and cause further disruption. It could also delay the introduction of modern, more spacious trains by Southern.” | “Simply changing the management or taking the franchise from GTR would not address the issues and would only create uncertainty and cause further disruption. It could also delay the introduction of modern, more spacious trains by Southern.” |