CONNEX SOUTH EASTERN

Motion Text

That this House welcomes the decision of the Strategic Rail Authority to strip Connex South Eastern of its franchise from December 2003; notes that between 1996-97 and 2001-02 Connex was given over ú400 million of public subsidy to run the South Eastern franchise and that the total amount of taxpayers' money handed out by the SRA and local passenger transport executives to all of the private train operators between 1995-96 and 2001-02 is ú7.6 billion; further notes that despite this enormous subsidy 20 per cent. of trains continue to run late and that many of the train operators are technically insolvent; and therefore calls upon the Government to under take a comprehensive review of the franchising process on the rail network with a view to taking the railways back into public ownership.