On Friday 6 October Amber Rudd MP’s fourth Hastings Rail Summit set out a clear plan to deliver high speed journey times between London St Pancras and Rye, Hastings and Bexhill.

Local MPs, Huw Merriman and Amber Rudd, have backed proposals for more local rail services in their response to the GTR timetable consultation for 2018.

This week, I did my best to ensure that the needs of our local road and rail network were brought to Parliament and aired before the Road and Rail Ministers respectively.

On 4th July 2017, Huw Merriman gives a speech responding to the Gibb Report.

The speech is now available to view: https://goo.gl/1E75eG and to read as listed below. 

Huw Merriman's speech on the Gibb report: 

Local MPs, Amber Rudd and Huw Merriman, this week welcomed the findings of an independent report delivered on the performance and future of Southern Rail.

Last week, I asked the Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, for Government time in the House of Commons to enable MPs and Ministers to debate the findings of the Gibb report on Southern Rail. You can view the exchange here: https://goo.gl/rCQrjD

Last year, the Government commissioned Chris Gibb, a rail expert with decades of experience, to produce a review of the performance of Southern Rail. The aim of the report was to identify causes of performance failure and make recommendations to urgently improve the service.

Bexhill and Battle MP, Huw Merriman, pressed for better compensation schemes for Southeastern rail users during yesterday’s Transport Select Committee with Rail Minister, Paul Maynard MP.

The Transport Select Committee today made a visit to Southern Rail to view the driver-only operated trains which have been at the centre of an industrial dispute between the train operator and train unions for almost a year.

Local MPs, Amber Rudd and Huw Merriman, have spoken of their regret following the decision by train drivers on Southern to reject a settlement which would have ended the long running industrial dispute.