Dean: Pandemic not an excuse to cut Public Transport

Local campaigner Bobby Dean has slammed the Government for allowing the pandemic to result in permanent cuts to local rail services, with his comments reported by MyLondon.

Rail services were reduced during the pandemic as many people responsibly stayed at home and so demand was not there to keep services running at full capacity.

However, since the pandemic, many passengers are returning to the railways but the timetable is still not back up to where it was.

Bobby Dean, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Carshalton & Wallington, says:

"Hackbridge is my local station and I know local residents will be relieved to hear that Thameslink trains will be restored to four trains per hour. But we still have a long way to go before public transport serves the needs of our local community.

"Sutton borough has no tube station, the proposed tram extension has been cancelled and new timetable proposals will see a Covid-related reduction of services to London Bridge made permanent. This simply isn't good enough.

"The Conservative Government must not use the pandemic as an excuse to make devastating cuts to public transport. Good public transport links are key to our economic recovery and to tackling climate change. They must invest in the future of our borough."