Jonathan updates constituents on the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) fiasco.

Updating constituents on the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) fiasco Jonathan said,

‘I met with Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling yesterday evening to further discuss the awful service being provided by GTR. The Secretary of State told me that he has met with GTR and told them that their service is unacceptable. This was followed by the subsequent resignation of the Chief Executive Officer of GTR.

The Secretary of State also mentioned that the formal process to finalise the review is significant and not straightforward. In this context he remains reluctant to take hasty steps that would make the recovery process more difficult for passengers. He has requested that GTR prioritise work on the timetables and an interim scheme should now be in place with the new timetable set for three weeks’ time.

The Secretary of State agreed with me that the Delay Repay scheme does not provide adequate compensation for regular commuters and he intends to publish a compensation scheme in the next few days which he hinted would be similar to the Southern scheme. This involved awarding four weeks free travel. Finally, he reiterated that he is very sorry about the appalling treatment of passengers but maintains that the industry did not give any warning to him. Whichever part of the industry is proven to be in the wrong, we need to wait for the result of the inquiries now taking place. Please be assured that I will continue to hold to account both GTR and Transport Ministers until these issues are resolved.’