At a meeting in Parliament with Paul Maynard MP, the Trains Minister, local MP Grant Shapps called for Govia Thameslink to lose the franchise which services the stations in Welwyn Hatfield. Grant called for the meeting following longstanding problems with the performance of train services such as lack of drivers, signal failures, shortened carriages and severe delays and cancellations.
At the meeting Grant also sought reassurances regarding the timetable of the roll out of the Oyster card in Welwyn Hatfield. Grant was told that whilst it is a matter for Transport for London, there are currently no obvious reasons why the proposed date of 2018 cannot be met.
After meeting the Minister, Grant commented: “Govia’s performance is just not up to scratch and shows no signs of improving. That’s why I’ve called for them to lose the franchise as soon as possible. The people of Welwyn Hatfield deserve better than this so it’s about time the franchise is given to someone up to the job so that we can have a train service to rely on. I was also pleased to hear that the Oyster Card is still on track for 2018 but I’ll certainly do everything I can to make sure this doesn’t slip behind.”