Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Rail Minister Jo Johnson met with more than 50 MPs yesterday (5 June 2018) to hear about the serious issues faced by passengers affected by disruption following the introduction of new rail timetables.

Ministers met with every MP who requested a meeting to discuss the difficulties faced by their constituents on routes operated by Northern Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

The Transport Secretary made clear that the rail industry had collectively failed the passengers it serves and that train companies had not raised any warning that they were not properly prepared for the timetable change. Mr Grayling also set out plans for the rail industry to compensate people who have been affected.

Ministers took immediate action on this issue once problems became clear as the timetable came into effect on 20 May 2018. The Transport Secretary announced that Northern were implementing a recovery plan, including extra services and increased driver training, on Wednesday 23 May before leading discussions the following day with northern leaders including Transport for the North, who jointly oversee the Northern franchise through the Rail North Partnership.

The Rail Minister met with Network Rail in Milton Keynes on Monday 4 June to discuss progress on improving services following the introduction of emergency timetables that day. However, it will take time to recover as there are a number of issues to be worked through by train companies and Network Rail.

Transport ministers continue to hold regular discussions with the leaders of Network Rail, Northern and GTR to drive improvements and those organisations will be meeting with MPs this week to discuss the issue.