I continue to be very concerned about the disruption on the local railways caused by GTR's timetable changes. As you will have seen from my previous updates, I recently met with GTR, the Royston, Letchworth and Villages Rail User Group and Rail Minister, Jo Johnson MP.
I have written to Jo Johnson (below) to summarise the outcome of the meeting and my expectations about the action that still needs to be taken.
GTR need to ensure that the recent chaos on the railways ends, the emergency timetable stabilises and that they provide certainty and improve communications.
In relation to compensation, GTR has confirmed that they encourage use of Delay Repay but as I pointed out when I questioned Chris Grayling about compensation in the House on the 4th June, the level of compensation needs to reflect the very real levels of inconvenience that have been experienced. I have written to the Office of the Rail Regulator (below) to ask for their clarification with regard to compensation levels, as it is clear that for many of my constituents, they are not only experiencing the unacceptable inconvenience of the delays, they have also incurred consequential financial costs, such as alternative train or bus travel, car parking fees etc.
I will continue to press GTR and the Department for Transport and as soon as I have further information, including a response to my letters, I will provide updates on this website.