Corby MP calls for transfer of EMR contract within twelve weeks
Corby MP Lee Barron has called on the government to transfer operation of East Midlands Railway services to Great British Railways.
Mr Barron wrote to the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, about the reliability of the rail company’s Corby following an increasing number of complaints from constituents.
He said: “This service is failing, and my constituents are consistently in touch with my office to share their testimonies of being left stranded and out of pocket by cancelled services in London or in neighbouring Kettering.”
In his letter, Mr Barron, highlighted an “infinitely reduced timetable” as a sign of the rail company’s poor performance and said that constituents complaints were supported by ‘official data’, with EMR’s service, “the third most cancelled service by any operator in the country”.
He added that cuts to services and cancellations should be a “last resort” but that they have become “far too common” and that more constituents “are choosing simply not to depend on this service”.
EMR’s contract to run services serving the Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough line is due to end on October 13, 2030, but Mr Barron highlighted that the “core terms” of EMR’s contract expire on October 18, 2026.
In his letter, he called for the Department for Transport to give “three Railway Periods’ notice”, which is typically 12 weeks, to EMR to transfer operation of the service to Great British Railways.
The recently formed state-owned body is set to bring train operators with contracts with the Department for Transport under public ownership by 2027.
Great British Railways will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of much of the rail network in Britain, including running rail services, setting fares and managing infrastructure.
Mr Barron said: “Through Great British Railways, this service could be run in the interests of passengers, not shareholders”.
An East Midlands Railway spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to customers who have been affected by recent disruption on EMR Connect. While the route has generally performed well since its introduction, we recognise that recent performance has fallen below the standard we, and our customers, expect.
“A combination of factors has affected services in recent periods, including instances of extreme hot weather and a number of infrastructure issues across the wider rail network.
“We are committed to improving the experience for customers on the route and are investing £30 million to transform our EMR Connect fleet. The refurbishment programme is already underway, delivering more comfortable and modern trains, with further refurbished trains set to enter service over the coming months.
“We recognise the frustration that disruption causes and are working closely with our industry partners to improve reliability and minimise the impact on customers.”
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “We expect all transfers to be complete by the end of 2027, and a decision on transferring East Midlands Railway's (EMR) services will be taken in due course. “In the meantime, we've asked privately operated EMR to do everything they can to resolve the issues as quickly as possible to minimise the impact and give passengers a more reliable service.”