Lord Tom McNally, St Albans resident and Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, today confronted the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis over the woeful performance of First Capital Connect.
He used the first ever occasion for Lord Adonis to answer formal transport questions in the House of Lords to ask:
“Is the Secretary of State aware that I ask this Question not as Leader of the Liberal Democrats but as one of the Poor Bloody Infantry who has to try to get in to work each day on First Capital Connect’s Bedford to Brighton line. This morning the cross London service was suspended because of a fire on the line, last night it was suspended because of inclement weather, previously in recent months we have had staff shortages, technical failures, industrial disputes and a myriad of other reasons for failing to deliver the franchise obligations?
“Will the Secretary of State review the First Capital Connect performance and franchise? I can tell him that if he consults the users of the line they will tell him ‘Come back Thameslink, all is forgiven.’”
In response to Lord McNally’s question Lord Adonis said that First Capital Connect was fully aware of his Department’s dissatisfaction at its performance. He had some good news for users of the line in that the drivers had settled their industrial dispute and the company had promised him a full resumption of service by next Monday.
Commenting on this exchange, Sandy Walkington, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for St Albans, said: “I wonder what it means when the minister speaks of a full resumption of service. In the looking glass world of First Capital Connect, is it to be a full resumption of service according to the published timetable or is it just a resumption of the hopelessly inadequate revised service that we have seen over winter.
“We also need much more clarity on the compensation packages to be offered to passengers. The ‘Delay Repay’ mechanism is wholly inadequate for wholesale failure by First Capital Connect to deliver the advertised service. The Department for Transport should have been much more upfront and public in challenging them to deliver on their commitments or risk losing the franchise.”