Constituents have continued to share their experiences of GTR services with me since the introduction of the 15th July interim timetable and I remain concerned that provision is not improving quickly enough to benefit our long-suffering commuters. Whilst we are seeing stabilisation on some routes, others remain hostage to delays and cancellations with insufficient notice.
During this period of extreme hot weather, I am concerned to hear that as a result, carriages can quickly become over-crowded with sometimes poor air-conditioning provision.
I have therefore written to the industry regulator, the Office of Rail and Road to highlight constituents' concerns.
I have also written to Minister Jo Johnson, to ask for his continued attention on our Cambridgeshire routes.
Naturally, I have shared my concerns with GTR and asked what more can be done to improve matters for commuters. GTR have explained that whilst they work to stabilise the timetable we cannot expect to see any more services introduced until the end of September. Important work is being done behind the scenes, in conjunction with Rail User Groups to ensure that services are introduced in the correct priority order from the end of September until December to meet commuter demands. Whilst it is disappointing to hear that we cannot expect immediate re-introductions of vital services, I know that GTR and the Rail User Groups are committed to delivering a timetable that restores services to the May timetable levels before the year end.
I will continue to push for improvements in service reliability during this interim period.