My fight for better trains

The situation at Worcester Park station is disgraceful. But there's hope…

I have heard from countless constituents about the ongoing reduced service, which has remained at pre-pandemic levels despite the increased demand. The significant cuts to late-night services are particularly concerning, forcing people who are enjoying themselves in central London to resort to costly taxi journeys. I've been campaigning on this for a long time (see my timeline below).

But there is hope that things might change soon. My colleagues and I have been engaging with SWR, and our campaign has led to hundreds of local people submitting their experiences to their pre-consultation. Very soon they will be presenting their new proposed timetable for trains running through Worcester Park. I really hope they have finally listened, and that the proposal finally addresses the frequency, quality and reliability of the service.

A timeline of my fight for better trains at Worcester Park

10 October 2024 – Taking Worcester Park's train problems to Parliament

In my first few months as your MP I raised Worcester Park's reduced train services with the Transport Secretary in the House of Commons, asking when residents could expect improvements following rail nationalisation. Later that day, I spoke again in a debate on rail fares, highlighting the impact of unreliable trains on family life, working hours and residents' safety.

29 November 2024 – Pressing for the return of late-night trains

I submitted a formal Parliamentary Question asking the Government whether it would restore late-night trains to Worcester Park. The Minister confirmed, shamefully, that there were at that point no plans to reinstate later services between Sunday and Thursday.

13 December 2024 – Demanding answers ahead of nationalisation

Alongside Liberal Democrat colleagues, I wrote to the new Secretary of State for Transport, demanding more detail about how the Government intended to improve South Western Railway's services when they came into public ownership.

6 January 2025 – Challenging the Government over late-night services again

I submitted another Parliamentary Question, asking why late-night services at Worcester Park were not being reinstated on Thursdays and Sundays. The Government continued to claim that there was insufficient passenger demand to justify the additional cost.

3 February 2025 – Launched a Parliamentary motion demanding better services

I tabled Early Day Motion 734, highlighting the unacceptable situation at Worcester Park, including frequent cancellations, delays, overcrowded trains and reduced services despite growing demand. The motion attracted support from MPs across Parliament and called for urgent improvements to South Western Railway's performance.

11 February 2025 – Challenging the Government on post-pandemic passenger demand

I asked the Transport Minister whether the Government had assessed passenger demand at Worcester Park since the pandemic, given that services had still not been restored. The Government changed their tune somewhat - saying that officials were discussing demand with SWR, but refused to commit to increasing services.

26 June 2025 – Raising overcrowding directly with the Transport Minister

I challenged the Transport Minister in the House of Commons, sharing the experience of a Worcester Park commuter who described overcrowded peak-hour trains as unsafe and exhausting. My colleague Paul Kohler MP joined me in pressing the Government over delays to the introduction of SWR's new, higher-capacity Arterio trains.

23–31 July 2025 – Fighting further cuts to Worcester Park's summer timetable

When SWR announced further reductions to Worcester Park services over the summer, I spoke out publicly against the cuts, joined colleagues in writing to the Government, and demanded an urgent meeting with the Transport Minister. I also pressed SWR directly for answers, particularly over the lack of advance warning given to commuters.

22 August 2025 – Keeping up public pressure on SWR

I highlighted the continuing problems at Worcester Park on social media, including infrequent trains, persistent delays and short carriages leaving passengers crammed together. I made clear that I was continuing to lobby SWR for urgent improvements.

29 August 2025 – Asking about Worcester Park's place in Crossrail 2

I asked the Government whether the proposed Crossrail 2 route would include Worcester Park station, as part of the wider effort to improve our area's transport connections. Ministers confirmed that the project remained paused, with no current plans to proceed.

5 September 2025 – Meeting South Western Railway's Managing Director

I met SWR's Managing Director to discuss Worcester Park's train services, including the additional demand that could result from the proposed Motspur Park Development. Following the meeting, I connected SWR with Sutton Council and Berkeley Homes to ensure this potential increase in passenger numbers would be considered in future service planning.

March 2026 – At last, a timetable review

I joined the local Liberal Democrat team in meeting representatives from SWR to discuss their forthcoming major timetable review and how Worcester Park residents could influence it. We pressed for a meaningful consultation, including consideration of more peak-hour trains, faster journeys and later evening services.

19 May 2026 – Raising Worcester Park's needs with the SWR Parliamentary Group

At a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for South Western Railway, I pressed once again for better reliability and greater capacity at Worcester Park, making the case for long-suffering local commuters.

1–2 June 2026 – Launching a new push for public involvement

With our newly elected Worcester Park councillors, I encouraged residents to take part in SWR's early timetable engagement. I promoted the campaign on social media, calling for more trains, less overcrowding and better infrastructure.

10 June 2026 – Exposing worsening reliability following nationalisation

During the Railways Bill debate in Parliament, I challenged the Government with figures showing that Worcester Park's train punctuality and cancellation performance had continued to deteriorate in every reporting period since SWR entered public ownership. I argued that what passengers really want is trains that turn up on time and are not cancelled, regardless of who operates them.

12 June 2026 – Taking the campaign directly to Worcester Park commuters

I promoted the need for local residents to respond in large numbers to the pre-consultation with our newly elected Worcester Park councillors, encouraging residents to tell SWR about their experiences and help shape the next timetable. We urged passengers to make their voices heard through the railway's dedicated consultation website.

19 October 2026 - On the cusp of change?

I met with Chris Rowley and Matthew Evans from SWR to discuss their new Improving Your Railway report - which includes among other things a commitment to introducing a "More Resilient Timetable".

I repeated again the hopes of local residents that services can return to the four per hour frequency in each direction, particularly in the peak hours. If Great British Rail is to show any benefit, hopefully it can be that our calls for improved trains through Worcester Park is listened to.

When the proposal finally comes forward before the end of the year, we will know if they have listened or not.

What comes next?

I have continued to challenge the Government publicly over worsening SWR performance and the slow pace of improvements. I have kept residents updated of details of SWR's in-person engagement events. Because of our efforts, I have been told by SWR that ours is one of the areas with the highest engagement with the pre-consultation in the whole country - which gives me hope that they will finally listen to the concerns of local residents. Now, on the cusp of the proposed new timetable being published, I'm preparing to fight for the best possible outcome for local residents come what may.

But it's not just Worcester Park. Trains on the Southern and Thameslink line are increasingly unreliable and problematic - and I've been applying pressure to them to improve the service now that they are under public control too. I'm excited to see that they are already introducing new services to and from Gatwick, and are improving the quality of the stock. I recently visited their depot at Three Bridges and was impressed by the quality of the investment being made there.