Union bosses demand answers over future of the South Western Railway franchise

Two weeks ago, transport secretary, Grant Shapps, ruled that South Western Railway was ‘not sustainable in the long term’ and confirmed that he was examining options – including making SWR the third franchise, after East Coast and Northern, to be taken into public ownership.

RMT wants answers what is going on behind the scenes as passengers and staff have been left in limbo as speculation grows that SWR will be the next train operator to be stripped of its contract.

General secretary, Mick Cash said: ‘We believe that it is perfectly reasonable to demand to know what is going on and when he is going to make a decision. In the meantime, staff and passengers alike are left in limbo as the existing operator continues to stagger on. This is no way to run a railway.‘RMT members remain in dispute over safety and the role of the guard on SWR trains and the current uncertainty over the future of the franchise has blocked any chance of serious talks as the company await their fate. That is a ludicrous way to carry on.’

Last month South Western Railway directors said in the company’s December accounts ongoing discussions with the Department for Transport could result in the ‘termination of the contract within the next 12 months’ and ‘services being transferred to a publicly-owned operator’.

The organisation claimed that they are losing £137 million on the franchise, despite soaking up huge sums in taxpayer-funded corporate welfare.

A spokesman for the firm, which is owned by FirstGroup and Hong-Kong-based MTR, said its performance had been affected by timetable delays, strikes and infrastructure reliability.

Mr Cash added: ‘RMT is happy to sit down with Grant Shapps and discuss a way forward that brings SWR into public ownership and which guarantees safety on their trains.

‘The current impasse is damaging and unnecessary and we need to broker a sustainable, lasting solution that involves the staff who are currently being left in the dark.’