Just when we thought GTR's train service had started, ever so slightly, to improve, or at least not deteriorate further, along comes this new timetable - a mess of epic proportions.
I can only apologies once again to my constituents who have been bearing the consequences of GTR's shambolic service for far too long.
Last week in Parliament I said to the Secretary of State that now is surely the end of the line for GTR and they should have the franchise stripped from them. The sheer incompetence of the new timetable deliver is the final nail in the coffin.
Along with other Sussex MPs, I have made clear to the Secretary of State that there are 3 big questions that need answering:
1) Why was there a shortage of drivers without sufficient training on the routes when we have been consistently told that GTR had been training additional drivers and why did they bring in the new timetable when they knew they didn't have the requisite drivers to pull it off?
2) When will the compensation scheme be delivered to commuters and will it cover actual loss, i.e. loss of income, taxi costs, hotels costs etc. Often these compensation schemes are a slight reduction in ticket prices which in no way actually cover the real economic cost/loss.
3) When the Glaister Report has been reported then the Secretary of State must be able to strip GTR of the franchise if they are found to be a fault, which surely they must be. There should also be action taken against Network Rail for their hand in this debacle.
