Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has written to the Managing Director of South Western Railway calling for a reversal to the franchise’s worsening performance.
With the Railways Bill imminently set to complete its passage through the House of Commons, Caroline wrote the letter highlighting statistics that show that last year over a third of journeys did not arrive on time and the number of cancellations increased by 6%.
South Western Railway made history as the first franchise in the UK to be re-nationalised by the Labour Government. However, the first journey to take place under the direction of Great British Rail in May 2025 was a rail replacement bus.
Statistics provided by the Office for Rail and Road paint a picture of worsening performance after the coronavirus pandemic. In areas such as delays, cancellations, and delay minutes South Western Railway has seen passengers receive a worse service, even after nationalisation.
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, said:
“I’ve experienced a noticeable deterioration in the passenger experience on South Western Railway trains. Whether it’s delays, cancellations, or poor Wifi and cramped conditions, I am losing confidence in the service.
“Nationalisation was heralded as a turning point for our railways, but on the current performance trajectory it looks like passengers are going to get a worse deal than before.”
