First Great Western Franchise

Like the hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Rowen), I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen) on securing this debate. My hon. Friend's eloquence has brought colour to it as much as his fashion statement and glasses. I was elected last year and I am grateful to him for his kind advice and hospitality over the past year. This is an important debate because clearly underlying it is the philosophy that we have discussed about the possible movement from cars to trains. My hon. Friend emphasised the effect on the peninsula and the environment. The debate is also important also because it goes to the heart of the problems with the railways and with how the rail industry is structured and how the franchise process is working. We have had some excellent contributions from hon. Members throughout the Chamber about the problem pertaining to their constituencies. I am aware that the hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Alison Seabeck) has led a strong campaign in her area. Two months ago, the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) initiated a debate on South West Trains in her constituency and I suspected that we would have a debate such as this, so just before Easter I took the opportunity to go down to the west country to look at the problems in detail. I travelled by train from London to Plymouth, where I came across three or four major problems that the timetable is causing. First, points have already been made about high-speed trains and cutting the number of three-hour London-Plymouth services, as well as local services such as those from Ivybridge and St. Germans. In Plymouth I met local councillors, the local press and especially local railway officials, which was an enlightening experience because it gave me real insight into how the bidding process for the franchise worked and what lobbying is taking place by FirstGroup with the Government for revision of the timetable. I also met local business men, which was crucial. Tim Jones of the Devon and Cornwall Business Council stressed to me that the three-hour train is vital for Plymouth's success. We have heard Plymouth described as a vibrant and growing city. The regional spatial and economic strategies highlight Plymouth as an area of expansion. The point that was made was that if the three-hour train service were to disappear the business prospects in the area would also disappear. While I was in the west country I took the opportunity to look at the Looe-Liskeard line and the impact on local businesses and local employment of people being able to connect with trains to Plymouth and beyond, such as on the Penzance-Plymouth line. All those issues underlie a problem. If the timetable that came into place on, appropriately, 1 April—it replaced the December 2004 timetable, which is being junked—is not revised it will have severe implications for the peninsula. Equally, my hon. Friend the Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) made a point about the importance of the route from the south coast to Bristol and south Wales. The south coast to Bristol and south Wales corridor links the major urban settlements of south Hampshire, greater Bristol, greater Bath, Wiltshire and south Wales with the lines to London. The regional spatial strategy and the regional economic strategy highlight those as areas of growth in housing and economic development. The proposals for those areas are to cut services, and existing passengers will find themselves on shorter and less frequent trains with services starting later in the morning and dwell times at stations being cut. The inevitable implication is overcrowding and the inevitable consequence is that people will be less likely to use the trains.