North London Line (Hansard, 13 January 1997)

§ 10. Mr. Corbyn
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure the continuing improvement of rail services on the North London line over the franchise period. [8776]

§ Mr. Bowis
The improvements to the railway infrastructure on the North London line carried out by Railtrack during the past two years and the commencement in spring 1997 of heavy overhauls of the rolling stock used on the route will provide a solid foundation on which the North London Railways franchisee will build throughout the franchise term.
I also announced on 16 December a further transport policies and programmes grant towards the upgrading of stations on the Gospel Oak to Barking section of that line.

§ Mr. Corbyn
Will the Minister comment on why the franchise documents that have been dispatched to encourage people to take over the North London line include nothing about new stations, improvements of services, increased train frequency or station safety and pay no regard to the unanimous views expressed by local government and train users of the current appalling state of the line?
The Minister knows the state of the line; two of his ministerial colleagues travelled along it. On the stations, they all gave nice answers to questions about how terrible it was and how it would be improved, but there is nothing in the documents to suggest that there will be any improvement in the appalling service that passengers have to suffer on that line.

§ Mr. Bowis
I beg leave to differ with the hon. Gentleman. In our previous exchange on the subject, he challenged me to travel unannounced on that line. I did so and experienced the service, and I became aware of where improvements were needed. The reliability and punctuality of the service have greatly improved in the past year or two, but obviously the service needs the investment that will come from privatisation.
The hon. Gentleman knows that the franchising director requires that replacement trains be provided on the Gospel Oak to Barking section of the line by 2000. That could not be a more self-evident improvement in the line. As he knows, we have put money into station improvements three times, first at Haringey Green Lanes, then at Leytonstone High Road, and now Waltham Forest, as the lead borough, will consider where the next tranche of money should go. As he must also know, Railtrack is assessing the scope for further development of that line for freight and passengers. I think that the future looks quite promising.

§ Mr. Ian Bruce
Could my hon. Friend find a simpler way of answering the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) and the fears that he expresses? Similar fears were expressed by all political parties when we were franchising Network SouthWest and the line from Weymouth to Waterloo. Would not a cheap awayday ticket—

§ Mr. Bowis
A single.

§ Mr. Bruce
Not a single ticket as we want him to come back to London. Would not an awayday ticket allow the hon. Gentleman to see exactly what is happening—improved services, stations, frequency and punctuality, and reduced fares—which is what my constituents want?

§ Mr. Bowis
My hon. Friend is right to point to the benefits of privatisation. He highlighted the benefits that have come on lines in his area and asked me to act as post box to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) to go on an awayday down the south-west line. With our present majority, I am happy to invite him to go on an awayday any day.