Rail Franchising

Debate between Andy McDonald and Madeleine Moon

Wednesday 10th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Andy McDonald]

I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. It just adds insult to injury when such hikes in rail fares go alongside appalling services.

It is time that Secretary of State woke up from his state of denial. It is time for him to come clean and admit that he has made mistakes. No one is perfect, but he should acknowledge his failures, and take responsibility for the decisions he has made, the policies he has pursued and their consequences. I urge him to be entirely unambiguous with the House today. The Government’s defence of their rail franchising system is totally indefensible, and this is not the first time that the Government have been in the Chamber this week to defend the indefensible.

[Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)]

In south Wales, First Great Western reduced and cancelled services over Christmas and new year—there was chaos—yet it has been handed a franchise extension. Is it not time we had performance-related franchises and performance-related franchise extensions, rather than franchises being extended automatically no matter what the service?

[Andy McDonald]

My hon. Friend makes a good point, and I will return to those themes.

The Government are unable to accept that the franchise model, which is demonstrably failing, is a betrayal of the public who plough billions of pounds of taxes into the railway. It is a betrayal of the passengers who face eye-watering fare rises year after year. It is a betrayal of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated and passionate people who have worked in the rail industry for decades.