Commuters at the end of the line over railway cuts

AS a regular train passenger, whether that be small hops to Dorchester or longer commutes to London, I can only sympathise with the commuters who are enduring the most gruelling journeys to get to work.

Although not directly affecting any services within Dorset, the cuts to 341 services on the Southern Rail network- and lack of action to begin rectifying this- creates a sad prospect that passengers will be left disappointed.

Consumer watchdog ‘Which?’ assessed satisfaction with franchise companies like South West Trains and Great Western Railway, and all of them barely scraped half of the overall customer score.

On a number of occasions, I have arrived at my destination well over two hours later than the original arrival time.

And staff, at times, respond with apathy to the situation at best.

The complexity also of who is responsible for a fault, whether it is Network Rail or the train operator, is another area which sees the buck being passed and an avoidance to pay compensation at any cost.

And yet, the fares still rise.

I stand in support with those protestors at London Victoria station, and across the Southern network, this week.

The impact on people’s lives by daily delays and cuts is no small problem and it is not an issue government can wilfully ignore.