New rail contract offers opportunities and poses risks

12.00.00am GMT Mon 16th Jun 2008

Sutton and Cheam MP, Paul Burstow, has voiced concerns over the Department for Transport's plan to merge the existing Southern rail services with the operations of the Gatwick Express. Southern rail services provide the residents of Sutton and Cheam with rail links to central London, and the proposed merge could affect people's daily commute.

The Department for Transport has said that the new South Central franchise is due to commence on 20 September 2009 and will not only combine the existing operations of Southern and Gatwick Express, but also services on the Tonbridge to Redhill route which are operated by Southeastern. Currently expressions of interest have been invited from potential bidders for the new franchise, with a planned announcement of a short list of applicants set for September 2008.

Paul Burstow commented:

"A new contract offers the opportunity to secure investment and improvements in local rail services. In particular I will want to see what the competing bidders have to say about peak overcrowding. Increasingly at peak times there is standing room only from Cheam and it can be quite a squeeze to get on at Sutton.

"With the new contract covering a much wider area I want to be assured that the new contractor won't lose focus on the bread and butter work of delivering commuter services for my constituents."

ENDS