11.07.16
GTR warned against bidding for franchises ahead of rush hour protest
Warnings have been issued this morning that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) should not bid for any new franchises until it improves its services, just as rail union RMT called the operator’s axing of almost 350 trains a day “a crisis measure designed to rig their appalling performance figures”.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, rail minister Claire Perry MP said it has been “quite clear” to her that companies “who cannot deliver a good service, particularly over the things they can control, should not be bidding for new franchises and we need to be absolutely clear about that”.
“We need to ask serious questions about their performance going forward,” she added.
Her remarks come as RMT – which has grappled with a long-running dispute with GTR’s Southern but recently offered to suspend strike threats for three months – said axing services was just a “fix of epic proportions” – since the “fewer trains you run, the fewer will be delayed and the better your headline performance statistics will look”.
The union’s general secretary, Mick Cash, added that the timetable squeeze would leave “remaining trains dangerously overcrowded”. He also criticised the national focus on unofficial unionised action and sickness “when the core problem is down to systemic mismanagement” and a “failure to recruit enough guards and drivers to fill rosters”.
Proposals to extend driver-operated only services on the Southern line is a key sticking point in the row with the union, and RMT only offered to lift its strike threat for three months if GTR suspended these plans for the same period.
But a Southern spokesperson said this morning that the issues with crew availability only emerged after RMT launched industrial action over plans to place train door duties on drivers instead of conductors.
It added that over 92% of services are running to time against the temporary revised timetable, which cut 341 trains from the usual schedule. The operator said this is “broadly similar to the number being cancelled ad hoc today but the bulk of the train service will be delivered when people need it most by targeting available traincrew to the busiest lines and times of day, and by minimising gaps between trains wherever possible”.
A spokesperson added: “We know the service level in the last couple of months has not been good enough and we apologise unreservedly. This new timetable allows us to target our resources where they are needed most and at the same time give passengers a more predictable service which they can plan their lives around.
“It is a temporary measure while we work with the RMT to end the dispute and bring their members back to work and, while it should be judged over a few days, the first few hours of operation are encouraging.”
Rail passengers are due to stage a rush-hour protest at the capital’s Victoria station today as a result of service cuts, staff shortages and strikes. According to national press, they are planning to withhold payment for train tickets.
Alex Prosser-Snelling, one of the organisers, said: “Southern mismanagement is needlessly wrecking passengers’ evenings, interfering with childcare, and stressing out the workforce. Southern needs to get a grip – and if they can't or won't, the government shouldn't let them run a railway.”
More than 12,000 people have also signed a petition calling for the franchise to be taken away from Southern, and Streatham MP and former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna recently tabled an early motion urging the government to strip GTR of its franchise before the renewal date.