Just before Christmas, Richard held a meeting with representatives of Govia Thameslink Railways, the Rail User Group for Biggleswade, and representatives of both Biggleswade and Sandy Town Council as part of his bi-annual catch-up regarding rail services in the east of the constituency.
Richard Fuller MP said:
There is a perception that services through Biggleswade and Sandy are not as strong as they are in Bedford but I am pleased that we are able to work together to address a number of concerns.
At the top of my list of concerns was the Labour Government’s plans to nationalise the railways and the knock-on impact that this would have on investment into and the management of the railways in the meantime. I was reassured that it is unlikely that nationalisation will happen in this part of the world at any great pace. GTR’s contract does not expire until the end of Spring and can be extended. It also seems, to me at least, that major reorganisation is off the cards until the entire industry is nationalised granting us a reprieve from the disruption that such a wholesale change could cause.
We also spoke about East West Rail and the future of Sandy train station. I was pleased to learn that there are no plans for Sandy train station to be closed at this time despite plans for a new station at Tempsford being built into the EWR plans. This was reassuring as EWR are training a number of new drivers to build extra resilience and reduce their reliance on overtime hours.
Finally, we spoke more broadly about the services offered, and while I was pleased that GTR are working to strengthen the Passenger Assist system for blind and otherwise disabled passengers, I was saddened to learn that the line from Peterborough to London is now running at full capacity and it is very unlikely that we will receive any new services to complement the commuter service brought online last year for Biggleswade.
I look forward to continuing to work with GTR and will meet with them again in 2025 to raise constituents’ issues. If you have any concerns do please raise them with me at richard.fuller.mp@parliament.uk
