• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Travel

South Western Railway franchise ‘not sustainable in the long term’

Poor punctuality and reliability combined with slower revenue growth has hit the operator’s financial performance.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-01-22 12:23
in Travel
Credit;PA

Credit;PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

South Western Railway’s recent financial statements indicate “the franchise is not sustainable in the long term”, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Poor punctuality and reliability combined with slower revenue growth has led to the operator’s financial performance being “significantly below expectation” since the franchise began in August 2017, he said.

The franchise – owned by FirstGroup and MTR – made a pre-tax loss of £139 million in the year to March 2019 after suffering from infrastructure failures and industrial action.

SWR have “not yet failed to meet their financial commitments” but the Department for Transport “must prepare suitable contingency measures”, Mr Shapps stated.

The potential options include issuing a new short-term contract to SWR’s owners – FirstGroup and MTR – or transferring the operation of trains to public sector body the Operator of Last Resort.

Mr Shapps

Mr Shapps said SWR will “continue to operate as usual with no material impact on SWR services or staff”.

Industry figures show that, between December 8 and January 4, the proportion of scheduled train stops made within one minute of the timetable by SWR was 55%, compared with the average across Britain of 62%.

RelatedPosts

Public vote to crown the home of Great British Railways

‘Part-time Transport Secretary’ accused of being ‘missing in action’ over airport chaos

Watch: Shapps ‘drives’ a train and it’s as awful as you would expect

Hotel Review: The Ro, Bowness-On-Windermere

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on SWR have staged a series of strikes stretching back more than two years in a dispute over guards on trains.

The latest strikes lasted throughout December and into New Year’s Day, leading to cancellations and delays.

The RMT has recently launched a fresh ballot of its members on continuing with industrial action.

Mr Shapps claimed the strikes are “not about safety, accessibility or helping passengers” and insisted that “driver-controlled trains are perfectly safe”.

He added: “These trains allow the guards to devote much more time to looking after passengers.”

Related – UK railways are already almost entirely nationalised – by foreign countries

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Bad news for Gove: Boris plans drug crackdown

How To Make Perfect Roast Beef & Yorkshire Puddings

UK may face decades of tax rises after coronavirus crisis – IFS

Union boss Len McCluskey at odds with John McDonnell over Labour’s Brexit position

Rory Stewart asks Londoners to invite him over for a sleepover

Harry Dunn’s family ‘angry’ as PM letters arrive two days before court battle

Seymour Hersh and the curious case of the bomb that wasn’t there

Watch: Jim Furyk Becomes First Player to Record a 58

10 Ways to Make Travelling Fun for Both Parents and Kids

Blog Competition

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.