MP calls for 'failing' rail firm to lose contract
Sam Read/BBCAn MP has called on the government to transfer operation of a "failing" rail company's service to the planned Great British Railways (GBR).
Lee Barron, Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, wrote to the transport secretary over his constituents' complaints about the reliability of East Midlands Railway's (EMR) services.
He said: "This service is failing, and my constituents are consistently in touch with my office to share their testimonies of being left stranded and out of pocket by cancelled services in London or in neighbouring Kettering."
An EMR spokesperson said: "We recognise that recent performance has fallen below the standard we, and our customers, expect."
The government plans to nationalise nearly all rail services in England by 2027.
The newly created GBR will take over service contracts currently held by private firms as they expire in the coming years.
It will operate services and set timetables, and eventually take over responsibility for maintaining and improving rail infrastructure from Network Rail.
Eventually, all the train operators are likely to become part of GBR.
In his letter to Heidi Alexander, Barron said complaints from residents were "supported by the official data" showing EMR ranking poorly for its number of service cancellations.
He cited a recently reduced timetable, and said: "Cuts to services [and] cancellations should always [be] the last resort for a service my constituents depend on."
Oli Constable/BBCMore from Northamptonshire:
Barron pointed out that the "core terms" of EMR's contract would expire on 18 October and said he wanted the company to be given "three railway periods' notice" (usually 12 weeks) for services to be transferred to GBR.
The EMR spokesperson said: "A combination of factors has affected services in recent periods, including instances of extreme hot weather and a number of infrastructure issues across the wider rail network.
"We are committed to improving the experience for customers on the route and are investing £30m to transform our EMR Connect fleet.
"We recognise the frustration that disruption causes and are working closely with our industry partners to improve reliability and minimise the impact on customers."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We've asked privately operated EMR to do everything they can to resolve the issues as quickly as possible to minimise the impact and give passengers a more reliable service."
They said a decision on when to transfer EMR's services would be taken in "due course".
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