A commuter group has launched a crowdfunding appeal for funds to back a legal challenge over ministers’ handling of Southern Rail.
The Association of British Commuters said it is seeking legal advice from on the options for issuing a judicial review of the government’s handling of the struggling rail service.
The group said its initial target of £10,000 is intended to fund a full legal review of all the material, ‘resulting in comprehensive legal advice on the way forward’. Any funds over this that will go towards drafting the grounds and issuing the application itself.
It said it has now instructed Devonshires Solicitors LLP ‘to investigate the circumstances around the rail crisis’.
The group has set an ultimate target of £25,000, which is an estimate of the costs required to investigate the claim and make an application for permission to initiate the judicial review.
If it succeeds in launching a judicial review it will launch a further fundraiser for the second stage.
It said it had the support of Bring Back British Rail, Campaign for Better Transport and the Reigate, Redhill and District Rail Users Association.
Last week transport secretary Chris Grayling announced a package of measures including £20m funding to address ‘unacceptable disruption’ on Southern rail services
The group said: ‘We have watched the situation deteriorate for months, and still the Department for Transport have abstained from their responsibility to ensure safety and service by intervening in a franchise that is quite clearly falling apart. We have no confidence in the latest £20m initiative by the DfT, which appears to be no more than a sticking plaster over a failing but highly profitable private company; paid for by tax payers’ money.’
However, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for environment and planning, Mike Goodman, backed Mr Grayling’s plan. “This is great news and recognises the frustration felt by Surrey’s commuters about the delays, cancellations and disruption,’ he said.
On Monday (5 September) Southern released details of the service it plans to run during the planned two-day strike by RMT conductors on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
It also reinstated a third of the services that removed from its timetable in July.
Southern said that if the strike goes ahead by using contingency conductors, it expects to run almost 60% of its normal full timetable (almost 65% of its temporary timetable).
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