Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, has met with representatives from First Group to discuss the First Capital Connect rail service between Brighton and London.
The meeting took place in Parliament last week, and Mr Kirby used the opportunity to convey his constituents’ serious grievances over the standard of service. Dirty carriages, overcrowding and frequent delays were amongst the key issues raised.
First Group are currently in the process of preparing a bid to retain the franchise agreement from 2014-2021, but face competition from four other bidders. A decision on the franchise is due to be announced in May 2014.
Simon said:
“This morning I tweeted about my meeting with First Group whilst I was on my regular commute to London on the First Capital Connect service. I was inundated with complaints, and as a fellow passenger I must say that I shared the concerns being raised.
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to convey these criticisms directly to First Group at our meeting and question them on the issues that are so frequently raised with me. They were able to offer some assurances regarding investment in cleaning processes and increased capacity from 2014, but commuters in Brighton have been let down for too long.
“I know the bidding process for the new franchise is underway, and I made clear to First Group that given their track record many of my constituents would be extremely reluctant to see them retain this important service.”
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