20th September 2018
Heidi Allen, MP for South Cambridgeshire, today welcomed the initial report of the Glaister review, which looked into what went wrong during the GTR timetable chaos surrounding the May 20th launch.
The Review, which was independently conducted by Professor Stephen Glaister concluded that “Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Northern, the Department for Transport (DfT), and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) all made mistakes, which contributed to the collapse of services, particularly on the GTR and Northern routes.”
South Cambridgeshire constituents were badly affected by the disruption and Heidi repeatedly raised failures with GTR and the DfT on their behalf throughout the summer highlighting the impact that the situation was having on people’s lives and families. The report also recognised the impact of the changes highlighting the ‘financial and emotional costs’ and at times the impact on individuals’ ‘personal safety’.
Heidi commented ‘I welcome today’s independent report, which has rightly identified the systemic weaknesses evident in the planning and delivery of the new timetable. The report holds to account those responsible and recognises the deep and significant impact they had on my South Cambridgeshire commuters. Whilst I am pleased that GTR and the DfT have agreed to my demands for compensation for both season and non-season ticket holders, I still maintain that a fare freeze in January, operational until we have seen 3 months of stability, would truly acknowledge the failings of the industry as a whole.
Looking ahead, I am pleased with the report’s conclusions that extra measures are being taken by the industry and government to better prepare for the December and May changes. I look forward to reading the Report’s recommendations for improvements, which are due to be published at the end of the year.’
A copy of the Glaister Review can be found here - http://orr.gov.uk/news-and-media/press-releases/2018/orr-inquiry-concludes-passengers-let-down-by-rail-industry-failures