Member

To come back to the two regions I just mentioned, London and Merseyside, there are many benefits of devolution, not least democracy, as far as the railway industry is concerned, but there are also many benefits for the passenger. On Merseyrail, for example, every train has a train manager and all but five stations are fully staffed. The noble Lord opposite mentioned the London Overground, where every station is staffed from 15 minutes before the first train to 15 minutes after the departure of the last one. Why can those privileges not be extended to the rest of us? I am not one who tries to foment discontent between those of us who live in, work in or previously represented areas in the provinces, and those in London, but areas outside those two major conurbations come off rather badly when it comes to expenditure, investment and the quality of the rail service.