Railways need local decision making

7.26.32pm GMT Tue 28th Feb 2006

Responding to reports today that train companies have been stripped of their freedom to choose how many trains to run, with First Group ordered to make a series of cuts across the West Country, Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, said:

"The Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is becoming an ever fatter controller of our railways, taking more and more decisions away from those best placed to run our railways - local decision makers.

"Increased central control of our railways has failed to result in improved services. One train is cancelled every four minutes, while our railways remain the most expensive in Europe.

"The current system of franchising simply isn't working. We need less not more central control over the railways. Greater local decision making would mean services won't be cut where they are needed and would even allow our railways to expand to meet growing demand."