The rail operator has implemented several speed restrictions and service changes in recent weeks following a major incident. This has seen multiple services cancelled each day, with some local stations being left without a train service for several days at a time.
Safety is paramount and we all appreciate the efforts put in to keeping passengers and rail staff safe. Yet, despite efforts to maintain safety, rail users feel they are being left with little choice and uncertainty and that they believe the operator is using recent incidents as an excuse to cut costs on the Uckfield Line.
Recent complaints focus on the poor service and the fact the rail replacement bus put on by the operator is failing to get passengers to their next train journey. My constituents just want the trains to run according to the programme set out by the operator and want the service they are paying for.
Constituents have raised issues with the service for many years, long before the recent hot weather was cited as the cause of safety issues. However, some residents believe that the weather is now being used as an excuse and that they see little evidence that issues are being dealt with.
The Uckfield Line is the main route in and out of the city for my constituents, with many people relying on it to get to work and being left stranded with little to no information. The poor performance by the rail operator is not a surprise, but we need to see the issues resolved before the winter sets in. I have asked for a meeting with Network Rail as a matter of urgency.
Residents deserve much better and I will push the operator to do better.
