This morning, Cumbrian MP has slammed the Department for
Transport’s decision to extend Avanti’s contract for the
West Coast Mainline by another 6
months.
It follows an extended period of
failures by Avanti in running the service. Analysis of the Office
of Road and Rail data has resulted in the
company being ranked the lowest for reliability with
Avanti cancelling the equivalent of one in four services in
recent weeks. Their cancellation score was put at 18.9% -
one of the highest recorded in history for any
operator.
The decision follows an incident last
Summer where due to Avanti
mismanagement, passengers were left stranded and locked
in Oxenholme train station at
midnight.
Speaking today, Tim said:
“Whether it’s letting water
companies keep their bumper profits and bonuses whilst pumping
sewage in our lakes and rivers, or extending Avanti's contract
despite dire performance, this is a Conservative Government who
seem hellbent on rewarding
failure
“This decision by the Conservative
Government proves just how out of touch
they really are.
“They simply have no idea the
difficulties that passengers face every day whilst
trying to navigate the failures of Avanti. Passengers have been
forced to accept an outrageous hike in ticket prices and are
getting nothing in
return.
“The Conservative Government
cannot justify this extension when every other train is
cancelled, the fares are through the roof, and the lives of
passengers are left disrupted every single
day.
“This should be the final stop for
Avanti’s contract.”
