Dismore welcomes end of FCC Thameslink franchise- but says it is a missed opportunity.
Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member and parliamentary candidate for Hendon has welcomed the end of the First Capital Connect franchise, with the news that the contract has now been awarded to Govia – but says the opportunity has been missed to transfer the line to the highly successful London Overground network.
Mr Dismore said:
“ FCC could not run the railway. It was the most unpopular line in the country last year, which was no surprise to users of the line.
“I shall be seeking an early meeting with the new managers from Govia who now have the contract from the Autumn. In particular, I will be seeking assurances that commuter services form Mill Hill and Hendon will be improved and not play second fiddle to the faster lines from Bedford. I will want to know what they intend to do to improve reliability and punctuality, and reduce overcrowding. I also will be raising the need for step free access at Mill Hill, which was not included in the recent announcement of the Conservative Government’s future step free programme.
“However, with the inclusion next year of the South Central franchise, I believe it is going to be a tall order for them to deliver all the improvements our commuters rightly expect to see. This franchise is going to be too big and too complex to work.
“To my mind, this represents a missed opportunity. I believe commuters would have got a far better deal, if the franchise had gone to Transport for London’s Overground network. I rarely agree with Boris Johnson, but we both believe Thameslink should be part of TfL. They have dramatically turned round London Overground which is now the most popular line in the country. The fact that they were not allowed to bid to run the line is a disgrace. They should have had the same opportunity as the private sector, to compete for the franchise on equal terms.
“ the Government award of the contract to Govia is also a slap in the face for Hendon’s Conservative MP and chair of the Thameslink All Party Group, who has been trumpeting the “success” of FCC in running the line and bringing improvements to it , despite all the evidence to the contrary.”
