Grayling makes bid to ease rail pain for commuters

Kent commuters could benefit from an extra 40,000 seats under plans to overhaul the railways unveiled by Government on Wednesday.

Long-suffering Southern and Thameslink commuters will also see franchises split up as part of the proposals.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today said the railways were “bursting at the seams” and needed a new model by 2020. In future, regional partnerships would be set up with one team working on track and train operations for the first time since rail privatisation in the Nineties.

The Government wants the new operator of the Southeastern franchise to increase capacity by 40,000 seats, scrap first-class travel and provide compensation refunds within 15 minutes. All three franchises are currently operated by Govia, a joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis.

Commuters on some of the capital’s busiest routes have endured years of misery and disruption, with train operating companies frequently blaming Network Rail, the not-for-profit infrastructure company for causing delays. The first regional partnership will be on the East Coast Mainline, where Virgin Trains is currently the operator in a joint venture with Stagecoach. Stagecoach welcomed the news, which sent its shares up 5.8% to 169p.

The Government’s strategic vision for the railways will also see Thameslink and Southern franchises split up in 2021, while a consultation has begun on breaking up First Group’s Great Western Franchise.

Southern, which runs trains from Sussex to London Bridge, has been one of the most disrupted routes for years, because of engineering works and a series of strikes by guards and drivers.

The Department for Transport said it is looking into reopening old lines that were cut during the Sixties and Seventies. The Oxford-to-Cambridge line has already been identified as one that should be reopened.

It also wants to establish a rail ombudsman to make sure all passengers are treated fairly.