Chaotic week on local trains - Hartwell

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 13th May 2001

An appalling week for local commuters saw strikes by South West Train staff, power cuts and delays across London when the weather got 'too hot for the rails'!

As if the strike on Friday 11th May wasn't enough, trains through Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth and Hounslow were seriously delayed on Thursday evening when the power had to be switched off because of people reported on the track along the line. Then, over the weekend, services were disrupted across London because the some of the rails apparently couldn't cope with the heat.

Local Liberal Democrat candidate, Gareth Hartwell, commented:

"I suppose that SWT and Railtrack couldn't help the problems on Thursday. While I was waiting for half an hour stranded outside Chiswick station, I realised that I couldn't remember the last time that I had caught a train on the loop line which wasn't late. Since I use the trains about 10 times a week at a variety of times, that's a lot of late trains and a lot of wasted time and frustration for commuters. Luckily, I didn't need to use the trains over the weekend - I can't believe that after problems with leaves, snow and ice, the rails also can't handle the heat. Railtrack is a national disgrace and it can't be allowed to continue.

"Liberal Democrats will transfer Railtrack's activities directly relating to railway operations - as distinct from its property management activities - into a not-for-profit, public interest company. We'll make rail travel safe by creating an independent railway safety body. We'll make rail travel reliable through better integration of all modes of public transport and the establishment of a single overseeing body - the Sustainable Transport Authority (STA) with responsibility for timetabling.

"We'll make rail travel affordable by introducing greater public control over public investment in the railways through our changes to the structure of Railtrack and by extending the scope of fares which are regulated."