The proportion of late trains on South Western Railway (SWR) increased to nearly half in the first year following its re-nationalization by the Labour government, according to figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws. Services arriving late surged from 34 percent to 46 percent in the six months after the operator became the first of Britain's privatized train firms to be taken under full public ownership in May of the previous year.
While performance has since improved, data shows that a year after re-nationalization, more trains were still arriving late compared to the period before public ownership. Cancellations also rose in the same period, with an increase of 1,000 compared to the year prior to nationalization.
Conservative Party transport spokesman Richard Holden criticized the situation, stating that South Western Railways continues to cancel thousands of services and that Labour's response involves significant compensation and consultancy fees. He described the railway as being "managed badly, at public expense, with no one now left to blame but this incompetent Labour Government."
In June, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged in a House of Commons debate that SWR's performance had "not been up to scratch" and could not guarantee cheaper tickets amid growing complaints about poor service.
A Department for Transport spokesman challenged the analysis, calling it misleading. The spokesman noted that the analysis compares a four-week period in late spring, when performance is typically better, with a four-week period in the height of autumn, when seasonal conditions affect punctuality across the entire network. The department stated it has invested almost £360 million into SWR's infrastructure over the past year and has increased the number of new, more reliable trains eightfold.