§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Robert Ainsworth.]
§ 10 pm
§ Mr. Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington)It is appropriate to follow a transport debate with a debate about Connex South Central and its franchise. The Minister knows that the debate on Connex is one of Parliament's regular features; it happens every couple of months. I am sure that commuters in Carshalton Beeches, Carshalton, Wallington, Waddon and Hackbridge and the constituents of my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) would have it no other way.
The chronology of the franchise is well known. It was awarded in the dying days of the Conservative Government, and taken away from Connex and given to GoVia on 24 October. The period immediately before and after that date is of interest to my constituents. With a great fanfare, the contract was awarded to GoVia, but there were many similarities between the GoVia bid and that of Connex. I hope that the Minister can reveal the decisive factor in opting for GoVia rather than Connex. I am sure that he has had discussions about that with the shadow Strategic Rail Authority. Perhaps he can also explain how awarding the contract to GoVia fitted the Government's railway strategy.
Since the announcement that the franchise has been awarded to GoVia, there has been a deafening silence. In an attempt to get the ball rolling and to ensure that commuters know where they stand, my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam and I have asked GoVia to commit itself to a 10-point action plan. Before outlining its content, I shall set out Connex's current position. The way in which Connex deals with the matter is crucial because it officially runs the franchise until 2003. In the past, the Minister has confirmed that there is little that the Government can do in practice if Connex chooses to hang on to the bitter end.
I understand that the chief executives of Connex and GoVia have met, and that GoVia wants the handover to happen early in 2001, although it is anticipated that it may take longer. I am pleased that Connex has said that it will be as co-operative as possible, but that various matters need to be tackled before the handover can take place. Does the Minister have a view about the likely handover date? Has he set a deadline, even if it is only in his mind, by which it must happen?
Connex has confirmed to GoVia that it wants the franchise to be passed on as a going concern so that the staff are transferred in an orderly fashion. Clearly, I want that, as do local commuters. A protracted handover could lead to staff departures, which would cripple GoVia's ability to run the service. What measures are in place to ensure an orderly transition? Will the Minister confirm that he expects Connex staff to be transferred to GoVia under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981?
Clearly, staff morale at Connex cannot be good since the loss of the franchise. Staff will seek reassurances about terms, conditions and pensions—a subject that we discussed earlier in relation to National Air Traffic Services—after the handover. Connex has stated that it is a big company and that it is in its interest to maintain its 1044 reputation by not allowing standards to go downhill between now and the handover. It has also confirmed that planned investment will go ahead. I am afraid that that is not necessarily the view of its customers.
Before I came to the House for the Adjournment debate, I heard a message that had been left on my office answering machine by someone who travels from Redhill on Connex. He said that he was already seeing deteriorations in the service and that such problems were caused not so much by bad weather as by the lack of train crew. Obviously, his concern is that the problems will worsen as the handover date approaches.
What does the Minister think Connex needs to do if it is to bid successfully for a rail franchise? As I said, there was relatively little difference between the Connex and GoVia proposals for the Connex South Central franchise. During the recent bad weather and disruption, Connex staff acquitted themselves fairly well in difficult circumstances. I have spoken with their representatives and know that some staff have been attacked by stressed passengers in the past few weeks.
I shall not discuss in detail all the points in GoVia's action plan because my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam also wants to speak, but it touched on the need to ensure that a proper plan of all intended works is displayed in stations so that passengers know exactly why they will experience disruption, and on the need to improve punctuality and closed circuit television systems.
The items that we listed in the 10-point action plan had been raised with us by commuters. If GoVia can guarantee to deliver those 10 points, commuters will believe that the end of their troubles is in sight. GoVia responded to our action plan by specifically saying that it would seek to keep customers as fully informed as possible of its plans and of progress, and that it envisaged displaying material in stations and on its website. It is also keen, apparently, to keep local Members of Parliament informed.
A key point is to make such information available, because customers—commuters—need to know that the service will probably get worse before it can improve. Investment is required and disruption may result from that. GoVia intends to introduce a new fleet of trains and to redevelop all stations. The fact that it will provide investment led it to assure us that it will deal with poor maintenance and cleaning. What are the Minister's views on how high levels of cleanliness can be enforced?
GoVia guarantees to replace its slam-door rolling stock by December 2004 at the latest, but says that that programme will be gradual and reliant on the delivery of new stock. I hope that the Minister will give an assurance that GoVia does not have an opt-out clause—it must deliver replacements for the slam-door rolling stock by that date, irrespective of any reliance on the delivery of new stock. It will spend heavily on improving communications systems and will improve punctuality and run longer trains. That will be extremely welcome in the London borough of Sutton, where we all too often suffer from overcrowded trains. Has the Minister or the shadow SRA made a specific requirement to reduce overcrowding as part of the franchise deal to which GoVia will sign up?
GoVia will improve its customer services department. What does the Minister expect the turnaround time for complaints to be in that enhanced department? It will run more trains later, especially at weekends if there is 1045 sufficient demand. Does the Minister agree that, with leisure use booming, train companies should provide services that run much later on Fridays and Saturdays? That would allow people who go up to town for shows to get home at a reasonable hour.
Apparently, station security will be improved. What commitment does the Minister think the company will have to make to ensuring that all its stations are safe, and how soon will that have to happen?
The final point that we raised with the company related to orbital services. The company said that it would commit itself to providing the services outlined in its franchise, and that any other suggestions would be considered. Have the Government any plans to work with the Greater London Assembly and the Mayor to develop orbital rail services? That is surely one of the key ways of reducing traffic congestion. More orbital rail services will enable commuters who currently cannot travel into London and leave London by train, because it takes too long, to cut out a lot of car commuting in our part of London.
I want to give my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam a few minutes, so I will make just one final point. It was not included in our 10-point plan, but I want to put it on the record now. Lord Cullen's inquiry into the Paddington rail crash revealed that Thameslink—owned by GoVia—had a poor record in driver training, and a poor record in regard to scrutinising new recruits. What assurances have the Minister and the shadow SRA sought, in relation to training standards and the vetting procedures that will be employed by GoVia once it is running what is currently the Connex South Central service?
I apologise to the Minister. Once again, I have bombarded him with a series of questions. I see that he is on his own—there is no one in the Box to assist—but I hope he will be able to respond to those questions in detail in the near future, in writing if he cannot respond immediately. If he can respond, he will give commuters in Carshalton and Wallington a sense of security and some hope about the future of their train services, at a time when a sense of security and hope for the future of local rail services is distinctly missing.
§ Mr. Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam)The Minister is probably almost as much of an expert on the services our constituents receive as we are. Although my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake) rightly observed that on this occasion there might not be anyone in the Box to assist the Minister, the Minister has participated in a number of debates on Connex South Central, and has been helpful in responding to concerns that my hon. Friend and I have raised. I think that, as a result, the Minister has become familiar with those concerns. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the matter again this evening, given the way in which the franchise process has proceeded. It is quite appropriate at this point, with the award of the contract to GoVia, for us to raise the concerns outlined by my hon. Friend, as well as one or two points that I want to raise. I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate; I also thank the Minister for the opportunity to speak.
Many of my constituents are pleased that Connex South Central has lost the franchise and that GoVia will take it on. They see it as a new beginning, and hope that that 1046 new beginning will bear fruit—that they will receive a better service than they have experienced over the past few years. I fully support the 10-point plan outlined by my hon. Friend, on which he and I worked together, and I think that many of the hard-pressed commuters with whom I have shared train journeys to this place from Cheam will support it too.
The franchise system that Members inherited after the general election seemed to many to be about rewarding poor service. It was all about saying that if a train was run on time, it was all right to run it overcrowded and short. It is that sort of service that has made travelling a misery in London. That is why all the indicators suggest that Londoners feel let down by Connex and others, and it is why my hon. Friend and I have raised these issues on a number of occasions in Adjournment debates over the past year or so. We feel very strongly about them.
My hon. Friend and I have taken a close interest in rail services and have followed the franchise and refranchising process step by step. I want to place on record my gratitude and that of my hon. Friend to both companies for their participation in the process, especially the way in which, in June, they took up our invitation to attend a public meeting—a public rail question time—and directly engage with their commuters about their plans. My hon. Friend and I and the 100 or so commuters who attended that meeting found it very useful in informing our views. It has certainly shaped the development of the 10 points that my hon. Friend outlined this evening.
I touched on this issue in a previous Adjournment debate, but especially now that the award has gone to GoVia, it is absolutely crucial to ensure a smooth transition from Connex South Central to GoVia—the new train operating company. As my hon. Friend has rightly said, Connex has a commitment to delivering planned investment. It must be delivered across the network for which Connex is currently responsible, especially for the services and infrastructure in our constituencies about which we have campaigned for some time.
From travelling on the trains and talking to constituents, I know that the fear is that the standards are already slipping and that they will slip further during this interregnum. Therefore, information about the timetable and how long commuters must wait until GoVia takes over needs to be clearly put on record as soon as possible. As my hon. Friend has said, there has been a deafening silence about the timetable.
It would be helpful if the Minister could tell us what the safeguards are and how the transition period will be monitored to ensure that Connex continues to deliver at least the current standard of service and, better still, starts to make improvements. Connex has been running on a pretty ropy timetable for months on end, and it is about time our constituents and other rail users who rely on Connex South Central started to see some improvements.
Planned investment brings me to my final point: investment in the stations in the area. The Minister will know that I have campaigned for some time for improvements to Sutton and Cheam stations. I am grateful to the Minister for his interventions, which have helped to get Connex off its backside and investing in Cheam station. That has borne fruit; we have a canopy on the London-bound platform, so we no longer get wet when waiting for trains in the morning.
1047 I hope that the rest of the programme will be delivered and that the Minister will ensure that the Strategic Rail Authority will continue to keep Connex to its promises. Sutton station still appears to be in flux. Hoardings are still up, and it is not clear whether the company will honour the timetable that it said it would. I hope that the Minister can deal with that—if not tonight, perhaps he could write to my hon. Friend and me.
The 20-year franchise must transform the services that my constituents receive. Rail users have had a lousy service for the past few years, and they expect better. I hope that the Government can assure us that the service will be better in future.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Mr. Keith Hill)I congratulate the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake) on securing this debate and providing a further opportunity for the House to discuss the Connex South Central rail franchise. He secured an Adjournment debate on this very subject on 11 April. I welcome this opportunity to update him on the progress made with the replacement of the south central franchise and to assure him that the issues that he and his hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) have raised are, or will be, considered as part of the replacement franchise process.
The hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington commented on my knowledge of the issue. My knowledge has been developed by the educational experience of debating Connex South Central with him and his hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam, but I also have a keen interest in the matter, both as the Minister for Transport in London and as the Member of Parliament for Streatham, two of whose stations—Streatham Hill and Streatham Common—are currently served by Connex South Central rail services.
The House will be aware of the rail network's continuing problems, which have been caused by adverse weather conditions and temporary speed restrictions imposed by Railtrack in the aftermath of the tragic accident at Hatfield. Connex South Central services to and from London are suffering severe delays and cancellations resulting from 20 mph emergency speed restrictions. The company is not operating an emergency timetable, but has planned a series of cancellations about which passengers have been informed. Flooding and embankment damage was the greatest concern on the Brighton main line, which was blocked between Haywards Heath and Brighton. However, I am delighted that the line reopened on Monday afternoon.
It is clear that both the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington and the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam welcome the franchising director's announcement on 24 October that the shadow Strategic Rail Authority had signed heads of terms with GoVia, the current operators of the Thameslink franchise, as the preferred counterparty for the new replacement south central franchise.
GoVia plans to brand the services, which run to south London, Gatwick airport, Brighton and the south coast, the New Southern Railway. It is expected to run the business for 20 years and, over that period, to implement 1048 an investment programme valued at up to £1.5 billion. That will include the introduction of new rolling stock, upgrading key routes and all stations to raise standards, improving train service performance, and providing additional capacity.
A new franchise agreement will be signed with GoVia once detailed negotiations and funding plans have been developed. GoVia may take over the franchise earlier under the terms of the existing franchise agreement with Connex, subject to agreement of terms for the early transfer of the franchise, which is due to expire in May 2003. It is for the parties to agree the date on which the change will come into effect, in consultation with the franchising director. I have no powers in that regard.
GoVia will continue to work up the investments, which will be delivered as soon as possible after the new franchise agreement comes into force, taking account of Railtrack planned works and Thameslink 2000 works. In the meantime, Connex is required to continue to meet the requirements of its franchise agreement, including service provision, performance regimes, station standards and customer satisfaction requirements, until the transfer has been made. Failure to comply may put it in breach of its current contract. That may be taken into account by the franchising director when evaluating proposals for future franchises in the replacement process.
The hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington asked how the newly announced franchise fitted in with the Government's strategy for franchising. The objective of franchise replacement is to secure the earliest possible delivery of better railway services for passengers, including many of the aspirations raised by the hon. Gentleman, while providing demonstrable value for money for the taxpayer.
It is envisaged that that objective will be achieved on the basis of long-term replacement franchises that will seek to commit to a continuous improvement in safety; to deliver improvements in the quality of service to passengers; to ensure expansion of network capacity and high investment; to treat franchisees and train operators as partners, sharing the risks and rewards that the industry offers; and to encourage operators to build brands, develop markets and provide innovative customer service initiatives.
This is intended to achieve demonstrable benefits to passengers, covering the whole door-to-door journey experience. To focus attention on that, interested parties have been asked to take account at an early stage of service quality and customer care issues.
The hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington referred to his 10-point action plan. I confess that my briefing indicates that it is merely his action plan. I am delighted to hear that it is a joint effort and that the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam has also evolved that plan.
§ Mr. Don Foster (Bath)I agree with it, too.
§ Mr. HillI understand it now receives the endorsement of the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman—that is endorsement indeed. Hon. Members have made some specific points to which they would like GoVia to sign up, to ensure that their constituents receive the standard of service that they need. GoVia is already committed to some of the points. I shall deal briefly with the main ones.
1049 All stations will be brought up to secure station standard, with investment in lighting, CCTV, help points and appropriate staff presence. GoVia will work with the British Transport police and the civil police to crack down on crime. Punctuality will be improved. There will be improved information and additional retail staff, customer assistance and revenue protection staff.
Slam-door rolling stock, to which the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington referred, will start being replaced by late 2001, and all mark 1 stock will be replaced by the end of 2004 at the latest. GoVia will be introducing new trains each year through the life of the franchise. We expect GoVia to deliver those commitments, and it is the franchising director's job to monitor delivery and to ensure that it is secured.
Additionally, trains will have automatic passenger-load monitoring facilities to help GoVia to provide the resources to meet demand. GoVia is also committed to investment in depots, which includes improved cleaning facilities. All train interiors and stations will be cleaned daily.
I am aware that the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington has written to GoVia's group marketing director, who I am sure will give due consideration to all the concerns put to him. The hon. Gentleman has also sought assurances on safety. GoVia has undertaken to support all forthcoming industry safety initiatives and to comply with all relevant recommendations of current inquiries.
I should like to deal with the early benefits expected from the new franchise, and have already mentioned new rolling stock. It is intended that 396 vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2002, a further 334 by the end of 2004, and a total of 1,000 new vehicles throughout the term of the franchise.
The infrastructure on the Arun valley line will be upgraded in 2004, and the Brighton main line in 2006, to provide greater capacity.
§ Mr. Michael Jabez Foster (Hastings and Rye)Does my hon. Friend know whether GoVia has agreed to take on Connex's obligation on the Hastings to Ashford upgrade? That is a particularly important route to Europe for my constituents in Hastings and Rye.
§ Mr. HillI am delighted that my hon. Friend has asked that question, as I know that he is eager to represent his constituents' interests. I am therefore delighted to add that, also in 2004, there will be upgrading of infrastructure facilities to allow faster trains to overtake stopping services on the south coastway, and the electrification of the lines between Ashford and Hastings and between Uckfield and Hurst Green, providing through electric trains between London and Uckfield.
I tell hon. Gentlemen that £200 million will be invested on station improvements over the duration of the franchise, and 37 stations will be developed as community and retail centres. There will also be improved access for disabled passengers, new car parking, and rail/bus integration in conjunction with local authorities, to form quality partnerships.
I shall deal now with the essential issue of the Sutton and Cheam stations. I understand that, on 10 November, the shadow Strategic Rail Authority wrote to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam to reassure him that existing and planned work on Sutton and Cheam stations should not be adversely affected by the change of franchisee. I hope that that will be of reassurance to him.
§ Mr. BurstowWill the hon. Gentleman also ensure that the Strategic Rail Authority takes on board the 10 points that my hon. Friend has made to him today?
§ Mr. HillI assure the hon. Gentleman that the Hansard record of this debate will be sent to the Strategic Rail Authority. I also assure him that the Orbirail concept is the subject of current investigation and discussion between the Mayor of London and the Strategic Rail Authority.
I trust that the hon. Members for Carshalton and Wallington and for Sutton and Cheam will be reassured that selecting GoVia as the preferred counterparty for the replacement south central franchise was done after full consultation and will reinforce the higher standards that we want to establish across the industry. If there are any questions with which I have not dealt, I shall write to hon. Gentlemen in due course.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Adjourned accordingly at half-past Ten o'clock.