PRESS RELEASE

It must be an absolute priority to improve services for passengers now. Questions must be answered, bosses held to account - we must press for practical solutions

She has today written to Charles Horton, the Chief Executive of Govia which oversees Southern and Thameslink services, and Mark Carne, Chief Executive of Network Rail, to call them to an urgent meeting to answer questions from MPs from Brighton and the South East, and to hold them to account on how they will urgently improve services for passengers in the coming weeks.

Caroline said: "My constituents are fed up with unreliable, overcrowded and over-priced trains.  I’ve been inundated by letters and emails from passengers who have had to experience cancelled trains, late running services, overcrowded trains and platforms, and pitiful communications systems.  While I understand the redevelopment of London Bridge will cause some inconvenience, the knock-on impacts to passengers is currently completely unacceptable.  Moreover, we need to ensure that when delays and cancellations do happen, passengers are swiftly and fully compensated."

She has recently highlighted the example of Southern's 07.29am service from Brighton to London Victoria which, in 2014, failed to arrive on time every single day.

She has invited fellow MPs to the meeting, to take place in the week beginning 19 January, to share their concerns as well.

She added: "Longer term, we need to fix the fragmentation of our railway system through bringing rail back into public ownership, and my private members bill would seek to do exactly that.  In the meantime, however, it must be an absolute priority to improve services for passengers now."

ENDS