Calling all London Midland/GoVia users

skyshadow

I am forced to use London Midland almost daily for work and to some extent their sister companies of Thameslink and Southern all run by GoVia. Like many I really am sick to the back teeth of the extortionate prices and failure to reinvest in the service.

Please can you give as little as 2 minutes to sign this petition. Even if you don't use the services consider that GoVia who run several franchises across the UK are a foreign company who ensure all profits leave the UK at a time when austerity cuts are rampant and every penny spent needs to stay within our borders where possible.

The contracts for new desiro trains go to Siemens another foreign based company as opposed to Bombardier based in Derby so there are indirect jobs that are lost through allowing a foreign company to manage our railways through this backward franchising.

Finally the services are beyond shocking as it is a "profits before passengers" approach which again impact the UK economy in terms of job losses through penny pinching and knock on effects where people are delayed.

For anyone thinking its not that much and doesn't matter, GoVia had revenues of over £2,500,000,000 in 2013 that is only growing year on year as well as subsidies they got from the taxpayer of £66,000,000 in 2013 as apparently that figure is not enough and the £40,000,000 reserve account needs more money in it to top it up.

Think about tax credit cuts, think about hospitals who need funding, think about public services stripped to the bone and think about what putting just 1 railway company back in state owned hands could do to help.

If you've read this and felt you want to do something then I urge you to take the 2 minutes to fill in the petition and ask your friends to do the same.

Many thanks

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/112641

Mr_Singleton

skyshadow wrote: »

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/112641

I completely agree with you but nothing will change until people realise that its happens because TFL/Train companies get away with it. You could get millions to sign your petition and it'll do not one jot of good. Start getting people even just a few hundred to find/use other means of getting to there destination each day and these companies will start to take notice because its costing them money.

wealdroam

Firstly, it is EU directives that pretty much instruct the government to not run a state owned railway system.

Then it is the government that decides which company should run which franchise. Just to add that it is the government that decides how 'the railway' is split up into the various franchises.

The government also pretty much prescribes exactly how each franchisee should run their operation. I.e. the govt has a great say in timetables, the govt has a great say is what rolling stock the operator uses, the govt also regulates certain fares.

Hitherto, franchise periods have been relatively short such that there is no incentive for the franchisee to invest in their business as the payback period for any investment could easily be greater than their tenure.

Apart from that, why have you singled out the GoVia group?

Abellio, who run trains in East Angia and Scotland, are a Dutch company.

Transpennine Express trains are part owned by a French bus operator - Keolis.

Arriva, operating trains in Wales and elsewhere, is owned by a German train operating company - Deutsche Bahn.

Also, why stop at railway companies?
Have you noticed how many water and power companies are foreign owned?
All these are syphoning money from the UK economy.

I'll stop there.

yorkie2

skyshadow wrote: »

I am forced to use London Midland almost daily for work and to some extent their sister companies of Thameslink and Southern all run by GoVia....

Minor point but Southern is no longer a Train Company; it's part of the Govia Thameslink Railway Train Company now.

skyshadow wrote: »

...GoVia who run several franchises across the UK are a foreign company who ensure all profits leave the UK ...

This is the case with many (most?) franchises.

skyshadow wrote: »

.... it is a "profits before passengers"..

That is how rail franchising is done, and has been for years. This has nothing to do with Govia.

Exile_geordie

skyshadow wrote: »

The contracts for new desiro trains go to Siemens another foreign based company as opposed to Bombardier based in Derby so there are indirect jobs that are lost through allowing a foreign company to manage our railways through this backward franchising.

Bombardier are a Canadian company anyway aren't they?

Mids_Costcutter

Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) are a state-owned company. East Coast (also government-run) ran the East Coast inter-city franchise from 2009 until the beginning of this year after National Express gave up on it. There is nothing in the EU directives which prevents state-owned operators from running rail passenger services.

Johnmcl7

Exile_geordie wrote: »

Bombardier are a Canadian company anyway aren't they?

Yes although they do have some manufacturing in the UK.

John

wealdroam

Mids_Costcutter wrote: »

There is nothing in the EU directives which prevents state-owned operators from running rail passenger services.

If you say so.

It really makes no difference to the OP's understanding though.

Exile_geordie

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

Yes although they do have some manufacturing in the UK.

John

I know I was just countering his rant that he thought they were a UK company

Johnmcl7

Exile_geordie wrote: »

I know I was just countering his rant that he thought they were a UK company

Agreed, just guessing why they thought it was a British company.

John

skyshadow

Thanks for all your replies.

The sorry state of franchising isnt exclusive to the railways but it's something I use ergo has the biggest impact on me.

The comment of about East Coast is a fine example of how directly owned railways can step in at any point if conditions are not met. The revenues raised went back into the public purse and during the 4 years since they took them over Directly Owned Railways improved performance and passenger satisfaction.

Regarding why I have "targeted" GoVia, they are statistically the worst performing operator, there are others but as mentioned about power and other franchising, I'm motivated in the short term by what affects me the most.

Services will only change if the government step in, they are already looking at devolution of rail control to local government in certain areas based on success stories such as Merseyrail. I'm not the type of person to sit back and allow something to continue without at least trying to lobby the government to take action. I do not subscribe to profits before passengers and strongly believe in a state owned railway which will only happen through gradual expiration of franchises and not having them going back for tender. Govia being the worst seems the most logical target as the first to be removed.