Mohammad Yasin MP writes:
I met the Rail Minister, Chris Heaton Harris to raise concerns about the ongoing serious issues with the reliability and punctuality of rail services in Bedford.
I gave the Minister a briefing, detailing all the concerns constituents have raised with me over the months and years regarding Thameslink, the loss of peak-time EMR service, the planned downgrading of services to the North and the ongoing problems with the Marston Vale line.
We had a good discussion, and as a fellow commuter, the Minister did seem to understand the issues. However, I asked for an update on the promised re-introduction of peak time EMR services and he was sceptical about the trains being part of the December 2020 timetable, as the previous rail minister promised and unable to guarantee they would be reinstated at all this year saying, “in my experience of train timetables, nothing is guaranteed until its up and running”.
I urge anyone who uses East Midlands or Thameslink services to respond to the EMR consultation which closes in February.
Click on https://tinyurl.com/t4vwzcg
I will write further on my Facebook page, Mohammad Yasin MP, about the other issues raised in the meeting and update all of those who wrote to me on all the other issues we discussed in the coming days.