Train service at Worcester Park Station is unacceptable.
The situation at Worcester Park station is disgraceful. We 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.
Frequent delays and cancellations at all times of the day are making commuting increasingly unreliable.
Luke Taylor MP has submitted numerous written questions to the Department for Transport about the situation at Worcester Park station, trying to understand the best course of action. After pressing the Minister for Local Transport, Simon Lightwood, he was shocked by his response. It revealed a complete lack of understanding of the issues surrounding Worcester Park station and the concerns of constituents.
In November 2024, Luke submitted a written question to the Minister on whether the Department planned to reinstate a full pre-pandemic service for late-night trains. You can find that here. Mr. Lightwood responded by stating that there were no current plans to restore services at Worcester Park. Luke then followed up in January 2025 to inquire why this was the case. You can find that question here. The Minister’s response was deeply concerning again, stating that his Department had determined there was insufficient demand to reinstate services to their full capacity. As we all know, this simply isn't true.
Luke Taylor is determined to understand how this judgment was made. Specifically, we want to know who they are consulting, as it is certainly not the constituents who have written to us or spoken directly about the ongoing nightmare they experience daily due to the lack of services at the station.
It is utterly frustrating that the government increased rail fares by 4.6% in March 2025, including those for South Western Railway (SWR), at a time when service quality continues to decline. For years, fares have risen, yet trains remain late, overcrowded, and unreliable. Commuters from Worcester Park are missing trains, causing them to be late for work, family events, and other important commitments. These residents deserve much better.
In addition to written questions, Luke Taylor previously raised this issue in regards to fare prices in the Commons, first questioning the former Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Hague, regarding services at Worcester Park. You can find that exchange on YouTube here. Alongside other Liberal Democrat colleagues, whose constituents also face the same struggles with SWR, Luke Taylor raised the concerns around Worcester Park services. Please find the link to that debate on YouTube here as well.
Luke also tabled an Early Day Motion titled South Western Railway service standards and performance to express our concerns and raise awareness about the poor quality of services provided by the rail provider, both in Worcester Park and across the country.
Thankfully, the pandemic is behind us, however, it’s long overdue that we move on from the temporary emergency measures that were put in place back then. Lockdown was almost five years ago. SWR cannot keep using the excuse that we all still work from home to justify reduced services—because the reality is, we don’t.
I met with South Western Railways MD Lawrence Bowman and Matthew Evans at WP Station on 9th September 2025, and am encouraged that they are finally moving forward with plans to consult on a new timetable - but I'm concerned that this process will drag on for a long time, whilst still causing deep disruption to local peoples' lives. I'm pushing for real change to happen as fast as possible.
Luke also attends the South Western Railway All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which was recently set up by Liberal Democrat colleague, the MP for Woking, Will Forster. We are hopeful that this new APPG can help to hold SWR to account, and we look forward to updating you on our efforts to improve rail services from Worcester Park Station.
