Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has condemned the Award of Business of the Year to First Group at the 2009 Rail Business Awards.

At the awards, First Group scooped the Business of the Year 2009 prize, while First Capital Connect (FCC), the subsidiary of the company which runs the Thameslink franchise, won two other awards including for “Internal Communications Excellence.”

Passengers of FCC have experienced severe disruption since November 2009 including many delays and cancellations, following an industrial dispute over staff pay and technical problems arising from the recent snowfall.

Other passenger complaints have included poor and/or non-existent communication at stations and shortened and overcrowded trains.

Mr Umunna said: “This is a complete slap in the face to the passengers who have been let down by First Capital Connect.

“Given what passengers have experienced, to name First Group Business of the Year is a complete joke.
“What’s more, First Capital Connect won an award for ‘communication’ yet there has been a severe lack of proper communication with the people who actually use their service here – these awards beggar belief!”

Last month, Chuka Umunna and Tessa Jowell, MP for neighbouring Dulwich and West Norwood, met with FCC bosses to go through in detail the huge number of complaints they have received about the service and demand immediate improvements.

As a result of the meeting, company bosses held a “Meet the Managers” event at Tulse Hill station earlier this month to address Thameslink users’ concerns.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has told FCC that the disruption experienced by passengers is unacceptable, and warned the operator that it could lose its franchise if the situation continues.

The delays, cancellations and poor communication experienced by Thameslink users in recent months have been unacceptable. When myself and Tessa Jowell MP met with First Capital Connect (FCC) bosses last week, we made this clear and went through the deluge of complaints we have received on this issue.

We also told the company that passengers deserve to be properly informed of what is happening with their service. At our request, the operator agreed to run a ‘Meet the Manager’ event at Tulse Hill station, giving passengers the opportunity to discuss their concerns and problems directly. We also asked FCC to look into ways of improving its communication with passengers, including a daily email update service before passengers leave for work.

FCC acknowledged to us that their business model has failed to provide an acceptable level of service and informed us that they are in the process of overhauling their operations to improve reliability. We await to see whether passengers’ experiences improve, and are in regular contact with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis to monitor the situation and will not let up until a decent service is provided.

If the company fails to keep its promises we will press the government to take further action so I would be grateful if local residents could let me know if they notice any improvement by emailing me at chuka {at} streathamlabour.org(.)uk

Chuka Umunna
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham

Published in the Streatham Guardian, 4 February 2010

First Capital Connect have forwarded Chuka a copy of the details below:

“Following the disruption to services on the Thameslink route between November 2009 and January 15, 2010, affected season ticket holders are being offered discounted tickets and refunds. This is in addition to
the delay-repay compensation scheme which can be used when a service has been delayed by 30 minutes or more.

“Summary of offer: Annual season ticket holders will be entitled to claim either a 5% discount off their next purchase (equivalent to over 2 weeks free travel) or tickets for 10 days free travel.

“Monthly season ticket holders will be entitled to claim either a 50% discount off their next monthly card following the start of the scheme (equivalent to 2 weeks free travel) or tickets for 10 days free travel.

“Weekly ticket holders with four weeks of tickets during the period will be entitled to claim tickets for 5 days free travel. Weekly ticket holders with eight or more tickets during the period will be entitled to claim ticket for 10 days free travel.

“First Class ticket holders will additionally be entitled to claim for a refund of the difference between First Class and standard fare for the period 12 November 2009 to 23 January 2010 when First Class accommodation was declassified.

“Please note: Discounts will be available when buying at First Capital Connect stations and online from the FCC website. Unfortunately where tickets are purchased at non-First Capital Connect Thameslink outlets we will only be able to offer the free tickets.

“We are currently setting up IT and ticket office systems and staffing an office to deal with claims under the scheme. Exact details of how to claim will be published in early February.”

As a result of Chuka Umunna and Tessa Jowell MP’s meeting with First Capital Connect bosses, the train operator will be holding a Meet the Managers event at Tulse Hill Station on Tuesday February 2nd between 7.30am and 9.30 am.

Neal Lawson, Managing Director of First Capital Connect, who met with Chuka and Tessa last week, will be one of the managers on hand at the event.

A further Meet the Managers event is taking place at St Pancras station on Thursday January 28th between 4pm and 7pm.

Chuka Umunna said: “Passengers deserve to be properly informed of what is happening with their service, which is why Tessa and I asked for management to be on hand at Tulse Hill station to address people’s concerns directly in the coming days. We are pleased that they have agreed to do this.”

Tessa Jowell, Labour MP for Dulwich & West Norwood, and Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham have secured commitments from First Capital Connect (FCC) to improve services after their meeting with company bosses.

Passengers of Thameslink, operated by FCC, have experienced severe disruption since November including many delays and cancellations, following an industrial dispute over staff pay and technical problems arising from the recent snowfall.

Other passenger complaints have included poor and/or non-existent communication at stations and shortened and overcrowded trains.

This week, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told FCC that the disruption experienced by passengers is unacceptable, and warned the operator that it could lose its franchise if the situation continues. Ms Jowell and Mr Umunna have been in regular contact with the Transport Secretary on the issue.

Ms Jowell and Mr Umunna met with Neal Lawson, Managing Director of First Capital Connect and Mary Grant, Managing Director of First Group’s rail division, to go through in detail all the complaints they have received about the service and demand changes to ensure an improved service.

Ms Jowell and Mr Umunna secured the following commitments at their meeting with FCC bosses:

• FCC will take steps to improve communication with passengers, both electronically and through assistance offered by station staff.
• FCC will look into setting up a daily email service to inform commuters of any problems or delays before they leave home for work.
• In the meeting, FCC acknowledged that its business model had failed to provide acceptable levels of reliability. They told Ms Jowell and Mr Umunna that they are currently in the process of overhauling their business model so they are less reliant on staff working overtime and are currently recruiting and training more drivers.
• New rolling stock is coming on stream, which will not suffer from the same problems as older units during cold weather and will allow for greater punctuality, FCC said.
• There will be better and more detailed information made available to commuters regarding compensation for the disruption to date.

Ms Jowell and Mr Umunna will keep in daily contact with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis to ensure that FCC keeps to all its promises. If the operator fails to do so, they will press government to take appropriate action.

Ms Jowell said:

“Thousands of people that I represent rely on FCC to get to work regularly and on time. They have been subjected to completely unacceptable unreliability through cancellations, delays and shorter trains – a collapsing service.

“Having met management today we have sought clear assurances that improvements will have an immediate impact for constituents. We will judge this according to performance, reliability, communication and modern trains.”

Mr Umunna said:

“We are in daily contact with Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, on this issue, and are keeping a close eye on FCC. We will not let up until a decent service is provided.”

For months Thameslink passengers have been let down by cancellations and delays. The government has now stepped in to warn train operator First Capital Connect (FCC) that it could lose its franchise if the service does not improve.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has told the operator that the current problems experienced by Thameslink passengers are unacceptable and that improvements are expected if FCC wants to continue running the franchise.

Chuka and Tessa Jowell, MP for the neighbouring constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood, which has also been affected by the Thameslink problems, are now seeking to meet FCC bosses to make clear that a full timetable must be restored.

Chuka said today:

“The delays and cancellations which Thameslink passengers are currently experiencing are frankly unacceptable – the government is leaving FCC in no doubt of this.

“Having relayed residents concerns about the service to ministers, myself and neighbouring MP Tessa Jowell are now seeking a meeting with FCC bosses immediately to demand answers.”

Chuka has continually fought to defend Streatham’s transport links, campaigning against proposals by Network Rail to terminate all northbound trains from Streatham at Blackfriars and will continue to spearhead the effort to bring the Tube to Streatham.

Secretary of State for Transport Lord Adonis has made it clear that the current service disruption is unacceptable.

He said: “I am only too well aware of the substandard service that has been offered by First Capital Connect in recent months.

“This is a matter of acute concern to me and my department.”

Previously, the government has intervened to withdraw the franchise of failing train operators – in 2003 Connex South Eastern’s contract was terminated early.

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has put the case for extending the tube to Streatham in his submission to TfL’s transport strategy consultation and is calling on local residents to join him.

People who want to back the campaign to bring the London Underground to Streatham should ensure they submit their responses before the consultation closes on Tuesday 12th January.

In his submission he outlined the benefits a tube extension would bring for local residents and businesses and the fact that there have been many previous plans to bring the London Underground to the area, none of which have come to fruition.

The tube would improve the area’s connections with central London, making life easier for commuters or people returning home after a night out whilst local shops and businesses would benefit from a boost in the number of potential customers coming to the area.

Linking Streatham into the tube network would help also relieve congestion on Streatham High Road, as well as the busy Victoria and Northern lines.

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy, published in October, recognised the lack of tube connections in South London, describing the “paucity of the Underground network” in the area and the need for “better public transport connectivity between inner north and inner south London”.

In September, TfL (Transport for London) confirmed that it is currently looking into a range of options to extend the Bakerloo line into South London, one of which could see the line come to Streatham.
Mr Umunna said:

“A tube stop is Streatham would massively improve local transport whilst bringing many knock-on benefits to our area.

“Having talked to people on the doorstep, it is also something which local residents are clearly in favour of.

“It is important that we keep up the pressure on the Mayor and TfL and make the case for bringing the London Underground here.”

People can register their views with TfL at http://mts.tfl.gov.uk/Have-your-say.aspx and sign the Bring the Tube to Streatham Petition at http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/bring-the-tube-to-streatham.html

The consultation process which followed the release of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy is closing next week.

People who want to put their views to the Mayor and back the campaign to bring the London Underground to Streatham should ensure they submit their responses before the consultation closes on Tuesday 12th January.

Responses can be made by filling in an online form or via email attachment.

To register your views, follow this link.

Chuka has made a submission to the consultation outlining the benefits a tube extension would bring for local residents and businesses, and the fact that many previous plans to bring the London Underground to the area have failed to come to fruition.

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy, which was published in October, confirmed that Transport for London (TfL) is looking into a range of options for extending the Bakerloo line into South London.

It also identified the current shortcomings of the transport system in South London, describing the “paucity of the Underground network in South London” and the need for “better public transport connectivity between inner north and inner south London”.

Sign the Bring the Tube to Streatham petition here.

To find out more about the campaign, follow this link

From today (Saturday January 2nd) passengers will be able to use Oystercards for pay as you go journeys on all trains in London – now including National Rail services.

Passengers who use stations including Streatham, Streatham Hill, Streatham Common, Brixton and Tulse Hill will benefit from the change and will now be able to travel seamlessly around London, on the bus, tube, train and river using their Oystercard.

The Oystercard extension has been arranged and funded by the government and Transport for London, with neighbouring Labour MP for Tooting and Minister for Transport Sadiq Khan having campaigned on the issue.

Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport said “If we are to encourage more people on to public transport we must make it as easy and convenient to use as possible. That is exactly what Oyster has done in London and why extending pay as you go to rail services is so important.”

First Capital Connect and Aslef have reached agreement on a revised pay offer but serious questions still remain for FCC.

A dispute over pay last month led to First Capital Connect (FCC), operators of the Thameslink train line in and out of London, only being able to run a skeleton service from Streatham, Tulse Hill and other train stations to central London, with as few as one train an hour remaining in operation.

Drivers angry at a pay offer offering a 0% rise this year and at least 3% next year, refused to work overtime and on rest days which led to FCC running the much reduced service. On 11 November 2009, Aslef - the train drivers union - announced that it would be balloting its 550-plus members working for FCC to take strike action over the issue.

On 19 November 2009 Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, wrote to Sir Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive FirstGroup Plc, to protest at the disruption caused to local residents. Umunna has asked to know why the situation was allowed to develop and what steps FCC were taking to resolve the dispute and get train services back running to normal levels. FCC have promised to provide a response to Mr Umunna shortly.

On Friday FCC announced that Aslef has considered a revised pay offer, equating to 5% over two years, and has agreed to recommend its acceptance to its members. Aslef have confirmed this . They are now working jointly to encourage drivers to resume rest day and overtime working. Services are not expected to return to normal until the New Year.

Commenting on this latest development, Mr Umunna said:

“Thameslink users will be delighted that an agreement has been reached and will look forward to a normal service being resumed as soon as possible but serious questions still remain.”

“First Capital Connect need to explain why on earth they have been operating a service without enough drivers – they should not be reliant on drivers agreeing to work overtime to provide a normal service.”

“I understand from reports that there are vacancies at Thameslink depots amounting to almost 10% of the work force. Why have First Capital Connect not recruited sufficient numbers of drivers to man their trains?”

Mr Umunna has also been running a campaign against proposals by Network Rail to terminate all northbound trains from Streatham and Tulse Hill train stations at Blackfriars. The Department of Transport is currently considering Network Rail’s proposals for the future of the line and Mr Umunna recently met with Minister of Transport, Sadiq Khan MP, to relay local residents’ views on the long-term planned changes to Streatham’s Thameslink service.

Hundreds of passengers have signed Mr Umunna’s petition opposing the changes and have joined his “Save Our South West London Thameslink Services” Facebook group.

Commenting on the future of Thameslink, Umunna said:

“Thameslink is an essential service for Streatham residents, linking the area with central London and beyond. That is why I have campaigned for an end to this dispute and against proposals to cut direct services to the City, Kings Cross and Luton Airport.”