COUNTY NEWS: Sussex MPs urge Transport Secretary to invest in rail network

Mid Sussex MP Sir Nicholas Soames, rail minister Paul Maynard, and Hove MP Peter Kyle

Two Sussex MPs, who head up a cross-party group on Southern Rail, have written to the Transport Secretary to ask for more funding in the south east.

Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove, and Sir Nicholas Soames, Conservative MP for Mid Sussex, lead the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Southern Rail, and have today (October 9), written to Chris Grayling calling for greater investment in the south east rail network.

The MPs claim that historically, per-passenger investment in rail infrastructure has been lower in the south east, compared with other regions. This is despite the south east route being the busiest in Britain, and the most economically important, they say.

The move comes ahead of final decisions on the next funding settlement for Network Rail later this week.

The pair have penned a letter calling on Mr Grayling to ‘take immediate action to address the historic and corrosive underfunding of the South East network and its infrastructure’.

The letter says:

Dear Secretary of State,

We are writing to you as the co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Southern Rail. We urge your Department to take immediate action to address the historic and corrosive underfunding of the south east network and its infrastructure that has persisted through successive administrations.

As you are aware, the south east route is the busiest in Britain, and with the majority of passengers commuting for work or travelling to airports, it is also the most economically important.

Yet the south east route also has the worst train performance nationally, and passenger satisfaction is lower than on any other route.

At the last meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Southern Rail, senior industry figures presented compelling testimony as to the impact of less investment in rail infrastructure as calculated per passenger in the south east, compared with other regions. Our constituents are now paying the price.