Letter: Yes, The Train Services Have Improved, But…

Published on: 6 Dec, 2016
Updated on: 6 Dec, 2016

From David Roberts

As a user of the London via Cobham and Epsom stopping line, I agree with David Smith’s view expressed in his letter: Letter: I Say The Train Service Isn’t Too Bad.

The service has improved vastly in terms of comfort, cleanliness, safety and punctuality since privatisation in the mid-1990s – though unfortunately at the cost of a slower service than at any time since the 1930s.

The stations are sprucer too and, except at peak times, the trains are not overcrowded and are often almost completely empty.

What I don’t understand, however, is:

• Why no wi-fi or power points on ordinary commuter lines such as this?
• Why no loos either? With an ageing population, this will be a growing issue.
• Why no multi-journey tickets for the increasing number of people who work part-time or commute irregularly? The pricing structure is odd, with season tickets extortionate while discounted ones for seniors etc are inexplicably cheap (e.g. a £10.20 off-peak day’s railcard from Horsley).
• Why no full service on weekends and holidays? In Switzerland this is when the trains are used most. Limited services are self-defeating, since they put people off using the trains at all.

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