Oliver last week secured promises from Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail that improvements will be made to the Thameslink line.
The commitments came at a public meeting organised by Oliver with representatives from Thameslink and Network Rail to allow local commuters from Hertsmere to raise their concerns directly with executives.
Speaking this afternoon, Oliver said: ‘As a commuter on the line myself, I know for passengers it is often the small things that can make all the difference to a commute and your day. I therefore was pleased to secure the following commitments from Thameslink and Network Rail to address specific problems that have been raised with me by constituents:
- ‘Problems with the new Class 700 trains’ air conditioning will be fixed within the coming month.
- ‘Passenger information screens will be modified to correct flaws and now update quickly and accurately.
- ‘New technology will guarantee that the Central London core route will be able to handle any additional traffic on the line when London Bridge re-opens.
- ‘Finally, the new timetable, starting from May 2018 will mean more trains to Hertsmere at weekends and evenings.
‘I welcome these commitments and I will continue to hold both Thameslink and Network Rail to account to make sure that passengers receive the good, reliable service they deserve.’
In addition to these pledges, the meeting also covered wider issues around local rail infrastructure and Oliver added: ‘The meeting was an excellent opportunity to look at what progress overall has been made on the line’s performance since last year.
‘Like others I was glad to see that there have been some improvements, but there is still more to be done and as Hertsmere’s MP I will be keeping up my campaign to press for better passenger services and investment in our local transport infrastructure.
‘In the longer run we also need to secure the next phase of infrastructure investment once Thameslink 2000 is complete so the line can cope with rising demand as people more live in our area. I will therefore be meeting with Network Rail, Govia and the Government to discuss what work needs to be done to secure this investment.’