Crispin Blunt

Conservative Party | Reigate

Reigate Rail Users

This is a copy of a letter Crispin sent as President, to the Chairman of the Club, read out at the Annual General meeting on Thursday March 7th 2002.

To: John Pocock,
Reigate, Redhill and District Railway Users Association
C/o Fairlawn Stables
Fairlawn Drive
Redhill Common
Surrey RH1 6JP

5th March 2002

Dear John,

Firstly I very much regret not being able to be at the meeting today, particularly in the light of the shambles that has become of the Department of Transport. I wish your meeting every success, and can assure you of my continuing support.

Over the last year rail users have had a roller coaster ride of information, misinformation and disinformation, with hopes raised and dashed by turns.

On 14th January 2002 the Strategic Rail Authority unveiled its plan for the railways, setting out a series of measures to improve Britain's rail network. The plan sets out important improvements which will be delivered within four years.

Mr Blair said:

“ I can't be sure exactly the point when, but the service will get better. Will the service improve past British Rail standards? Yes it will once the investment is in”

Mr Byers has promised us a railway system with better punctuality and better reliability, which is safe, clean and more comfortable. Mr Byers is setting detailed targets for improvements to the rail network by the likely general election year of 2005. With clear aims outlined rail users should be able to judge Mr Byers promises. Unfortunately his baseline performance figures are not 1st May 1997, when privatisation was driving output and passenger usage up, but 9th June 2001, when Railtrack was in the process of being driven out of business by a hostile government. It also followed Hatfield and Paddington. Combined with the low political priority for transport between 1997 and 2001, the performance baseline of 9th June 2001 is uniquely low. Therefore I urge you to judge improvements on the evidence of your own eyes, not on statistics from government information offices now under the control of Alastair Campbell from a misleading baseline.

The collapse of Railtrack will make it harder for Government to attract the substantial private investment required to achieve all our goals of a better rail service. It's pretty heroic to ask the same people who have been burned by the Secretary of State's actions in placing Railtrack in administration to cheerfully come forward with new money, and 30 billion at that. The travelling public must hope institutional investors have short memories.

Over the last few weeks I have watched with horror and amazement as the inner workings of the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions have unfolded. Across the country the railway is buckling under the strain of constant criticism and a lack of investment. This is not helped where the Secretary of State has lost the confidence of his civil servants – never mind the public. It can only hinder rail users further.

I hope you will hear of new initiatives and investment from others with you this evening. Investment in new Electrostar vehicles, station improvements, platform lengthening and a commitment that 9/10 trains would arrive within SRA punctuality deadlines are all to be welcomed. But from my own experiences I know that human resources are as great an issue as investment in infrastructure. All these improvements will need to go hand in hand if the improvements we all want are to be delivered.

Regardless of the promises, passengers are beginning to fight back and I know peaceful protests have been called elsewhere. Rail users have a voice and should use that. Our Association is part of the voice. I hope we express a clear message. It is time to stop the criticism and the denouncing of everyone's motives. We should have a clear message: It is time for the rail industry, rail passengers and the government to work together to ensure we deliver what passengers and freight customers want, a railway fit for the 21st century.

Yours sincerely

Crispin Blunt