The Department of Transport have finally agreed to meet with local MP Theresa May and others to discuss FGW’s appalling service.
Theresa explained, ‘Early in January I and several other Thames Valley MPs wrote to Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport requesting a meeting regarding FGW. On Thursday last week I received a letter from Tom Harris, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, flatly refusing this meeting.
‘He distanced himself and the Department from FGW’s failures and assured me that, as they were ‘monitoring’ FGW’s performance, there was no need for a meeting.
‘I was obviously quite annoyed and was about to take this up with the Department for Transport when Douglas Alexander himself emailed me to apologise for Mr Harris’ response and to confirm that a meeting would be possible in the next few weeks.
‘I am delighted that the Department have finally agreed to this meeting. And I will press to ensure that both Network Rail and FGW are represented in order to avoid any ‘buck-passing’.
‘I welcome this Government u-turn. I hope it means they have realised that commuters from the Thames Valley are simply fed up with FGW appalling service and will no longer put up with the disinterest showed by the Government, Network Rail and FGW themselves.
‘I will certainly use this meeting to impress upon them that people can no longer tolerate this appalling service from FGW. Something has to be done, and it is up to the Government, Network Rail and FGW to work together to make this happen.’
