Stephen Morgan MP has hit out at the Government Transport Secretary in his response to a letter he received last week from the department.
Since Mr Morgan was elected, he has been relentless in his calls for better rail services. Meeting with rail providers, attending cross-party parliamentary rail groups, asking questions in the chamber, submitting written questions and speaking to commuters in his patch.
In his recent letter to the Secretary of State, Mr Morgan spoke of his record of delivery and pledged to do more.
In an attempt to answer Mr Morgan’s tireless efforts to raise awareness of this ongoing plight affecting his constituents, Grant Shapps MP wrote a one-page letter to Mr Morgan setting out the Government strategy.
Mr Morgan said:
“While I appreciate the Secretary of State acknowledging the substandard service my constituents have been forced to endure in recent times, it doesn’t contain any detail. No dates. No numbers. No timeframes.
This is an issue that will affect my constituents tomorrow, they need to know now when the Government plans to resolve this issue. 67% of the trains run on time, what if Portsmouth people only paid their fares 67% of the time? There would be uproar.
It is time that Government took responsibly for the fact they have done nothing to address substandard train delivery and came up with a robust strategy for dealing with it.”
Mr Morgan also spoke out on what exactly was needed to improve rail services:
“There is an intrinsic need to not only improve rail times, but to also refurbish and upgrade Portsmouth rail stations and stations in the surrounding areas.
Access issues, faulty toilets, poor quality seating arrangements, unsightly exteriors and limited step free access are just some of the issues faced.
I have asked the Secretary of State to actually explain how he plans to deal with this rather than offer a half-baked proposal supported by no real commitment.
I used to commute every day from Fratton, where I grew up, to my job in London. I know first-hand the frustration at paying gold standard prices for a substandard service.”
Mr Morgan regularly raises the matter both in Parliament and in Portsmouth and has vowed to continue being a voice for commuters and rail users in his patch.