Service not good enough since renationalisation – MP

The Transport Secretary has admitted that South Western Railway (SWR) services have not been good enough since the franchise was renationalised.

Heidi Alexander, MP for Swindon South, told the House of Commons that the government would "leave no stone unturned" in making sure that the public had "a better travelling experience in the future".

Her comments came in response to a complaint by Woking's Liberal Democrat MP, Will Forster.

SWR has been approached for comment.

Alexander said that she regularly spoke to SWR managers to ensure that they were doing all they could to bear down on disruption, but she conceded that "things still weren't good enough".

Forster said: "Delays and cancellations on the SWR network are horrendous.

"Nationalisation has not gone to plan."

SWR became the first rail company to be renationalised by the Labour government, on 25 May.

At the time, the government described it as a "new dawn for rail".

But Alexander said that she could not guarantee train tickets would get cheaper under renationalisation.

SWR primarily operate out of London Waterloo, stretching across Greater London, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Devon and Somerset.

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