Category Archives: Transport

Catching up with local Residents Associations

On Friday afternoon I had a valuable catch up (via Zoom) with the Cobham and Downside Residents Association (CDRA) and Federation of Oxshott Residents and Associations (FEDORA).

We had a good discussion about the forthcoming Elmbridge Local Plan, which Elmbridge Borough Council recently announced will be published for consultation in the new year. Local Conservative councillors are clear – we oppose the option with development on Green Belt land. We call on the Lib Dems and Residents Associations running the council to follow our lead in protecting the Green Belt.

We also spoke about the government’s reforms to the planning system. I talked the associations through my responses to the relevant government consultations. I also questioned why the current coalition of Lib Dems and (other) Residents Associations running Elmbridge Borough Council have left us vulnerable to higher housing targets through their failure to put a Local Plan in place – despite having been in control of the council for three out of the last four years.

Finally, the associations gave me a useful update on the stretch of the A244 which runs through Oxshott. There have been important safety concerns about the road, which I am taking up on residents’ behalf with Surrey County Council. My thanks to the CDRA and FEDORA for taking the time to discuss these important local issues.

Update from South Western Railway

Earlier today, I had a useful update from Mark Hopwood, Interim Managing Director at South Western Railway (SWR), about their plans for local rail services post-Coronavirus.

We met up (outside) at Walton Station, where Mark briefed me on the new footbridge that will be built over the tracks next year. Importantly, the footbridge will have a lift, which will make moving between platforms a lot easier for disabled residents. It was also great to hear that SWR has reduced rent for the retailers around Walton Station, some of which I visited a few weeks ago. This is a welcome move, recognising the impact of reduced rail travel, and therefore customers, since March.

SWR are also looking at how residents can get better deals and a better overall experience on the railway after Coronavirus. First, they are working on new, flexible ticketing options, so that residents who might not commute every day can still get a good deal. SWR will also begin rolling out their new ‘Arterio’ trains in the new few months, which will have accessible toilets, free WiFi, air conditioning and live information screens.

Of course I appreciate that before Coronavirus, SWR’s performance had been causing significant frustration and disruption locally. Mark assured me that he will be building on the improvements in performance seen in the early part of this year. I will be keeping a close eye on this in the months ahead.

Update on compensation for December’s strikes on South Western Railway

(Photo taken in 2019)

Last month, I posted about the arrangements that South Western Railway (SWR) have put in place to compensate those who experienced disruption during December’s strikes.

The company has now completed the first phase of the compensation scheme, during which they contacted season ticket holders where they held complete sales records and accurate contact information.

SWR has now begun the second phase of this scheme. Eligible customers who have not been contacted by SWR, but who travelled on the network during the strike period (below), can apply for compensation online. The deadline to claim is 13 September, and SWR is clear that this compensation is in addition to any Delay Repay compensation you may have already received for the strike period.

More information about eligibility and how to claim is available here. Anyone who has already been contacted can also redeem their claim through this website.

The strike days were:

  • From 00:01 on Monday 2 December until 23:59 on Wednesday 11 December;
  • From 00:01 on Friday 13 December until 23:59 on Tuesday 24 December;
  • From 00:01 on Friday 27 December until 23:59 on Wednesday 1 January.

New data shows that improvements are still needed on South Western Railway

(Photo taken in 2019)

 

Last week, the Office of Rail and Road – the independent safety and economic regulator for the railways – published data on passenger complaints and delay compensation claims for 2019/20. These data show that the service on South Western Railway (SWR) was still not good enough last year and continues to inconvenience Elmbridge residents.

First, on compensation claims for delayed journeys, the data shows that SWR dealt with 755,515 claims in 2019/20, amounting to 371 claims per 100,000 journeys. It is good news that almost 99% of these claims were responded to within 20 working days – an improvement on 2018/19 – but SWR’s claims rate is still above the national average, and is a 5% increase on 2018/19.

Second, while SWR’s passenger complaints rate – 24 complaints per 100,000 journeys across 2019/20 – is below the national average, it has also risen since 2018/19.

At the moment, Coronavirus means that the railways are not operating as they normally would – train travel is still below 15% of normal levels. However, I know that a properly functioning railway system is crucial for commuters in Elmbridge, and indeed will be essential in getting the economy firing on all cylinders again.

These data show that there are still significant improvements to be made on SWR, so I will be closely monitoring its performance over the coming months.

Update on compensation for December’s strikes on South Western Railway

I know that many Elmbridge residents experienced disruption during the strikes on South Western Railway (SWR) in December.

Earlier this year, SWR announced that they will be compensating those who were affected. This was the right thing to do, and a welcome acknowledgement of the disruption faced by Elmbridge commuters. SWR are offering compensation for up to five days of travel to season ticket holders and daily ticket holders who travelled frequently during the strike.

The company has now begun the first phase of this compensation scheme – contacting season ticket holders for whom they hold complete sales records and accurate contact information. This is expected to take several weeks to complete.

In the second phase, all customers who have not already been contacted but travelled with SWR during the strikes will be able to apply for compensation online. This phase will only begin when the first phase has been completed, and SWR have assured me that they will doing all they can to ensure that customers are aware of the scheme. I will provide an update when this second phase begins. In the meantime, SWR have created an online tool for customers to check whether they are eligible for compensation under the scheme. This is available here.

£8.5m boost for cycling and walking in Surrey

I was encouraged to hear that the government has allocated Surrey £8.5m from a new emergency active travel fund, to invest in cycling and walking facilities.

Following unprecedented levels of cycling and walking during the Coronavirus pandemic, this funding is designed to make it easier for people to choose alternatives to public transport and relieve pressure on the network.

Surrey County Council could use the funding to create pop-up cycle lanes, wider pavements and safer junctions in Elmbridge. In addition to the health benefits of active travel, this will also help to reduce local congestion and improve air quality.

Surrey’s £8.5m allocation includes £1.7m to support the installation of temporary projects – to support the county during Coronavirus-related disruption – and £6.8m to support the creation of longer-term projects, which will permanently benefit residents in Elmbridge and across Surrey.

£33.5m to maintain Surrey’s roads and repair potholes

Last week, the government announced that Surrey will receive £33.5 million in 2020/21 to maintain our local roads and repair potholes.

The funding includes an allocation of the £2.5 billion Potholes Fund announced in the Budget in March. I wrote to the Transport Secretary soon after the Budget, to ensure that Surrey received its fair share of this funding. You can read my letter here.

This allocation includes money from the Pothole Action Fund announced in the 2015 Budget, and highways maintenance funding which is allocated by formula each year.

This is good news for Elmbridge residents. Improving the condition of our local roads will cut down the injuries and extra cost that potholes can cause drivers and cyclists, supporting the local economy and improving residents’ quality of life.

Repairing potholes is particularly important in Surrey. Earlier this year, research showed that, of 70 local authorities sent Freedom of Information requests, Surrey County Council received the highest number of compensation claims (3,533) for damage caused by potholes between 1 January 2018 and 17 October 2019.

New funding to fix potholes

The recent Budget announced a new £2.5 billion fund to fix 50 million potholes by the end of 2024. This is good news for drivers across Elmbridge – and Surrey as a whole – who I know are regularly inconvenienced by potholes.

This was demonstrated earlier this year when research showed that, of 70 local authorities sent Freedom of Information requests, Surrey County Council received the highest number of compensation claims (3,533) for damage caused by potholes between 1 January 2018 and 17 October 2019.

Given this, it is very important that Surrey and Elmbridge receive our fair share of the funding. As the constituency MP for Esher and Walton, I have written to Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, to ask for more detail on the funding allocations.

You can read my letter here.

South Western Railway strikes – new dates announced and compensation for December strikes

I am very disappointed that the RMT has confirmed further strike action.

These new strikes will affect services from 10:00 on Monday 9 March until 09:59 on Tuesday 10 March, and subsequently from 10:00 on Thursday 12 March until 09:59 on Friday 13 March.

This strike action is completely unnecessary, as driver-controlled trains are safe and have been operating elsewhere on the network for many years. The disruption it will cause is unacceptable, particularly following the strikes which affected residents throughout December.

On the upside, I welcome South Western Railway’s announcement that it will be compensating customers affected by the December strikes. This is in addition to the normal ‘delay repay’ arrangements, and a welcome acknowledgement of the disruption faced by Elmbridge commuters.

The company will repay customers the cost of up to five days of rail travel. This will be available to season ticket holders and daily ticket holders who travelled frequently during the strike. SWR will directly contact season ticket holders, and other customers will need to apply for the compensation. I have contacted South Western Railway to ask for more detail on the timescales involved and have written to them to urge that the compensation is extended to cover the strikes next month. You can read my letter here.

I appreciate that providing compensation does not address the long-running problems with punctuality, reliability and overcrowding. That’s why I will be meeting SWR’s Managing Director Mark Hopwood shortly to convey residents’ frustration with these issues and look at what more can be done.

In addition, there is an ongoing root and branch review into the railway system and the franchise model. It is encouraging that Keith Williams, who is leading the review, has already said that franchising cannot continue in its current form. I have fed in local constituents’ concerns to the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to press for a system assessed against clear and measurable criteria for passenger service – including punctuality, reliability and overcrowding – against which the operating company can be held to account.

Further strike action on South Western Railway

Elmbridge commuters have had to deal with unacceptable service from South Western Railway for far too long. There are chronic issues with punctuality, reliability and overcrowding. Combined with the strike action in December, this has had a significant impact on the quality of life of local passengers.

I was very disappointed to hear that the RMT union has now voted for further industrial action, though there are no confirmed dates yet. Driver controlled trains are perfectly safe, and have been operating elsewhere on the network for many years. This strike action is unnecessary and unacceptable.

This new industrial action comes soon after the news that South Western Railways is in discussions with the Department for Transport about the future of the franchise. The Government’s view is that the franchise is not financially sustainable in the long term, and it is undertaking the necessary contingency planning.

There is also an ongoing root and branch review into the railway system and the franchise model. I believe that railway passengers in Elmbridge need to be able to hold the train operator to account for poor services, and that this needs to be written in to the contract for any rail operator running our lines.

I am writing to the Transport Secretary about this, and will be meeting South Western Railway’s Managing Director to discuss the continued poor service. Elmbridge commuters deserve far better.