A letter from David Dean Conservative Assembly Member candidate for Merton & Wandsworth
London's economic and cultural success has meant it is the fastest growing city in Europe. More people are employed in skilled jobs than any metropolis on our continent.
This has led to one million more people living in London over the last decade, with another one million forecast to arrive by 2030. It is therefore crucial that London’s public transport authorities keep on expanding the networks and guarantee that London's transport system doesn't grind to a halt.
That’s why I have been working with our current Assembly Member for Merton & Wandsworth, Richard Tracey, to focus the minds of all transport providers. The biggest gripe of local residents is the super-crush rush hour at all stations served by SouthWest Trains.
Both Mr Tracey and I have spoken and written to SouthWest Trains urging them to introduce longer trains on all routes, as they have previously promised. Their current plan is to introduce ten-carriage trains at Clapham Junction, Earlsfield and Wimbledon in 2017; this is unacceptably late.
We believe they woke up to the problem too late, have taken too long to develop a plan and are moving too slowly to improve their service.
The good news is that the South West train franchise is up for grabs in 2017. This is our moment to transform a busy and popular train service into a world-class transport network. At the moment, SouthWest trains are more the British Rail of old, rather than sparking world-class service of the future! I am to play a big part in making change.
Councillor David Dean
Conservative Assembly Member candidate, Merton & Wandsworth
October 9, 2015