Andrew Dismore

Letter for publication

 

Dear editor

 

I  welcome the demise  of the First Capital Connect Thameslink franchise, with the news that the contract has now been awarded to Govia. 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 am 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 from 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.

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.

 

Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member and parliamentary candidate for Hendon

79 the Burroughs

NW4 4AX