§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement concerning the number of complaints made to rail companies. [51669]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe Rail Regulator published on 1 July 1998 a bulletin of passenger complaints made to the train operating companies in 1997–98 which reported that nearly 1,000,000 complaints were received by the operators during the year, representing 115 complaints per 100,000 passenger journeys. These figures show a high level of passenger dissatisfaction with the railway. Train operators must listen to what their passengers are telling them and take action to address passengers' concerns.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the number of complaints made to Virgin Trains over the West Coast Main Line service. [51668]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe Rail Regulator's bulletin of rail complaints, published on 1 July, indicates that 119,266 complaints were made in writing to Virgin West Coast during 1997–98. Quality of service on the West Coast service was poor during much of the year, mainly owing to problems with rolling stock and infrastructure. I am pleased that Virgin Trains has taken action to bring about some improvements. We look to the Franchising Director to work with Virgin Rail, involving Railtrack where necessary, to ensure that this trend is maintained and, where there are still shortcomings, improved.