Today Eastleigh MP Mims Davies slammed Network Rail for overrunning works that led to cancellations and long delays to rail journeys right across the south coast.
Services to Waterloo - Britain’s busiest train station - were most affected causing chaos for commuters.
Commenting, Eastleigh MP Mims Davies said:
“Yet again my constituents are having to fight cancellations and delays simply to get from A to B. The paying passengers trying to get to work, college or appointments are the ones being impacted once again.
“Network Rail must realise that overrunning works have serious implications for millions, whether a nurse trying to get in to work to care for patients, or those patients trying to get to hospital for an appointment.
“I will be speaking with the Secretary of State for Transport about this today, and will also be speaking with Network Rail and South Western Railway to raise the concerns of my constituents that I absolutely share.
“While I welcome that billions of pounds is being invested in to our railways, poor services such as we’ve seen today to implement necessary work cannot become the new norm! I urge everyone to work together to get things back on track so we have an improved service we can all rely on.”
The government is investing billions of pounds in to improving rail infrastructure across the UK, including across the south coast, and comes on top of record rail funding over the past 5 years as the government delivered the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century.
Continuing, the Eastleigh MP said:
“Delays are not only too frequent on our railways, but also on our roads, and I will be raising a number of areas with the Roads Minister today over how we can cut the constant queues on our road network.
“In that vein, I welcome that further to my invitation, the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, Sir John Armitt, is coming to the Solent area tomorrow to meet with local businesses and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership in a view to addressing the Solent being the 4th worst area for queues outside of London.”