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Leigh On Sea News: Nationalising Local Trains - A LEIGH councillor is angry at recently announced plans to nationalised the local train service.

Leigh On Sea News: Nationalising Local Trains – A LEIGH councillor is angry at recently announced plans to nationalised the local train service.

Nationalising Local Trains - A LEIGH councillor is angry at recently announced plans to nationalised the local train service.

A LEIGH councillor is angry at recently announced plans to nationalised the local train service.

 Conservative councillor for West Leigh Owen Cartey is accusing the two newly-elected MPs for Southend East and Southend West – Bayo Alaba and David Burton-Sampson – of “meddling with reliable local trains,” after it was announced that c2c and Greater Anglia would be the first trains lines to come under public ownership following Labour’s new Passenger Railway Services Act, which was passed in November.

 Coun Cartey said: “Southend is lucky to have two quality railway connections to London run by good operators.

 “Out of all the issues facing our community, toying around with our railways was the lowest priority. In the last year we’ve seen investment into new carriages, on top of the usual cleanliness, local charitable investment and reliability we have grown used to.”

 Records show that in the last 12 months, c2c has run 93.7% of its services within three minutes of their scheduled time with 1.0% of trains cancelled.

 Similarly, Greater Anglia has scored 94.3% within three minutes with 1.5% of trains cancelled.

 Southend Conservatives are united in their opposition to the new plans for bringing the trains under public ownership, stating that the new methods run the risk of “putting tourists off from travelling into Southend” and making the morning commute “more burdensome for those journeying into London.”

 They also cite c2c’s standing in the local community, with regular charity initiatives, and £100million of investment into new train stock, stating that whilst commuters expect issues “from time to time” it is “important to maintain a status quo that works for our local economy.”

 Coun Cartey concluded: “Any decline in service must be placed directly at the door of our two Labour MP’s for needlessly meddling.

 “This is purely a case of ideology triumphing over common sense and nobody in Southend will be welcoming back the ‘misery line’.

 David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh said: “”As we bring all rail companies across the country into public ownership, we are confident it will be better value for the taxpayer, better value for communities and provide better and more punctual services across the network.

 “We don’t view this as needless meddling; we view this as improving the country’s infrastructure.”    

Picture: Coun Cartey outside c2c station in Leigh

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