Lynne Featherstone MP last week met with some of the rail companies who are currently bidding to run the new Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern Franchise – which covers rail stations in Haringey Borough.
Funded by Government investment, the new Franchise aims to improve services by installing longer, more regular, and more reliable trains in and out of London.
However, concern arose that smaller local stations, such as Hornsey and Harringay, could get fewer services as a result of the new Franchise – as the newer trains would be too long to stop at their platforms.
The Liberal Democrat MP last year began a campaign against any losses of service at the smaller stations. A survey showed that 98% of people agreed with this campaign – though a high percentage also wanted newer, longer trains.
During the meetings, the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green – along with local Liberal Democrat Councillors David Schmitz and Richard Wilson – put forward the views of constituents, and argued strongly for no losses of service at any local station.
The local MP suggested platform extensions at the smaller stations as a means to ensure the newer, longer trains could stop just as regularly.
Lynne Featherstone MP said:
“The Thameslink services currently suffer from reliability problems, overcrowding, and dated trains, so I do very much welcome the huge investment in the Thameslink Franchise.
“However, it is vital that there are no service reductions at our smaller local station – particularly Hornsey and Harringay. Residents have shown that they agree by overwhelmingly supporting this campaign.
“Rest assured that the local Lib Dems and I are pushing both the bidders and the Department for Transport, to ensure that no services are lost at these stations as a result of the new Franchise.”
Lynne Featherstone 
It is a great pity, Lynne and Colleagues, that you don’t contact and talk to some of your local constituents who have some expertise in this. Lynne, I appreciate your experience at the GLA has put you in a far better position than many MPs whose knowledge is scant. This so called modernisation is probably going to lead to no tangible improvement to our local services.
With the utterly ineffectual performance of Haringey’s Executive member Nilgun Canver, for whatever personal reasons forced her hand, her departure from this portfolio is no loss; she never had a grasp.
Therfore a discussion group is urgently needed with some councillors such as Karen Alexander to set up a local agenda. If you were to put this into your 2015 manifesto it might help your position.
Meanwhile I would be grateful if you could send to me, both e-mail and hard copies, of any papers you have prepared on Thameslink and other local rail services.
Lastly while on your Blog, why are we now being told the Gospel Oak – Barking line wiring going so slowly that a date of 2017 has been suggested? This is Ridiculous, so please find out the cause for this inordinate delay. At the GLA your colleague Caroline Pigeon has been so helpful but she is off for a while for a more personal arrival!
Further to my post above I believe Crouch End Councillor Paul Strang may be able to have some professional input into this. There are a lot of issues relating to local train services and we really do need to get a coherent agenda.
The Great Northern local services are still in the melting pot, another 2 years of FCC does not inspire, and the delays over wiring GO-B is another concern.
Please can we have a round table discussion ASAP.