Campaigners have urged new rail minister Paul Maynard to make tackling the Southern Railway crisis and progressing part-time season tickets his first priorities.
Paul Maynard (right) with the DfT's Philip Rutman
James MacColl, head of campaigns at Campaign for Better Transport, said: ‘We’d like to welcome Mr Maynard to what is bound to be a difficult job. Top of his in-tray is sorting out the ongoing problems at Southern, which his predecessor said “feels like a failure”.
'It is time for someone to get a grip of the situation. Passengers who rely on the beleaguered Southern services need urgent action from government to get the franchise back on track and restore levels of service.'
He added: ‘Nationally, action to roll out part-time season ticketing has been on the Government’s agenda for several years with seemingly little progress and we hope now with a change of personnel comes a renewed effort to get flexible ticketing for part-time workers off the ground.’
Mr Maynard’s predecessor Claire Perry resigned last week, shortly after she said in a Commons debate that she had on occasions ‘been ashamed to be the rail minister’.
Ms Perry was also responsible for the South East Flexible Ticketing programme, which promised to promote flexible and multimodal travel across London and the South East region, including part-time season tickets, but appears to have achieved very little.
Mr Maynard said: ‘I’m very pleased to be joining the Government and overseeing the record investment being made in our railways.
‘More people than ever are choosing to travel by train, and a modern rail network is vital to economic growth and productivity. I am looking forward to working closely with passengers and the rail industry to understand their needs, and ensure that everyone can benefit from better journeys.’
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
