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About Us
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| Chair:
Alex Forrest |
| contact@sruf.org.uk |
| Web:
Chas Martin |
| admin@sruf.org.uk |
Two years prior to this, Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, and Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, had organised a meeting to allow the public to discuss rail services with the train operating companies Connex and Govia. The timing of this meeting was primarily due to the fact that the bidding for the Southern area franchise was about to begin. Managers of Connex (the incumbent franchisee, and four years into its seven-year award), and Govia (the operator of Thameslink services and rival bidder for the franchise) put forward their views on the future of rail services and answered questions from the public. Govia were upbeat about their proposals, and promised to create the infrastructure for faster and more frequent services, and to provide new trains. Connex made it clear that punctuality, reliability and service quality were important issues for them.
A year later, in August 2001, Govia acquired Connex South Central Limited. A five-year franchise was signed in May 2003. There has been little in the way of improvement in the frequency of services, and certainly nothing like the levels proposed in Govia's 'New Southern Railway' bid.
The Sutton Rail Users' Forum developed in the summer of 2002 with one or two informal meetings, before holding the first public meeting in November that year. Regular dialogues continue with Southern and First Capital Connect (replacing Thameslink from April 2006).
Everyone is welcome to get involved with the Forum, and annual membership is a modest £5. This Forum is intended to be positive and forward looking, and to act as an arena for debate to take ideas forward. Although the Forum is campaigning for a wide range of improvements, from service level provision to the cleanliness of stations and trains, good practice and improvements need to be highlighted too. We intend to chart progress, and hopefully to be able to report that travelling by train in south London is an improving experience.
If you would like to know more, please send an email to contact@sruf.org.uk. Alternatively just come along to our next meeting, the date of which is given on the Home page.
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Version 88. Last updated: 24/01/2009 |