119-550: South Western Railway ( SWR ; legal name First MTR South Western Trains Limited ,) is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and MTR Corporation (30%) that operates the South Western franchise . On 20 August 2017, SWR took over South Western franchise operations from the previous franchisee South West Trains . SWR operates commuter services from its Central London terminus at London Waterloo to south west London. SWR provides suburban services in
238-487: A "Broken Society" he accused some families of being habitually unemployed, generation after generation, living in sink council estates in the inner cities. Government cuts were made to the DWP budgets in order to constrain welfare spending. The policy later informed treatment of prisoners, refusing the right to vote , and clamping down on abusive behaviours in jails. He announced work programs for prisoners, encouraged an end to
357-409: A "no-deal" Brexit on 29 March 2019. On 2 January 2019, it was reported that Seaborne Freight had never run a ferry service and owned no ships. The Road Haulage Association said the firm had an impossible timescale in which to "source ferries, hire and train staff and link with relevant authorities". Despite Grayling's assurance that the usual procurement due diligence procedures had been followed, it
476-712: A 100% FirstGroup subsidiary when the 24.5% shareholder bought out its partners. The TOCs were renamed First Great Western and First North Western . Go-Ahead Group bought the remaining 35% share in Thames Trains . Virgin Group sold a 49% share in Virgin Rail Group that operated the CrossCountry and West Coast franchises to Stagecoach . The completion of the rail link to Heathrow Airport led to Heathrow Express , an open-access operator outside
595-631: A 20-year maintenance contract. It is located south of St Denys station and is near Southampton Football Club's St Mary's Stadium . Ryde Traincare Depot , alongside Ryde St John's Road on the Isle of Wight serviced the Class 483 units that used to operate on the Island Line. Salisbury depot maintains the Class 158 and Class 159 fleet. Strawberry Hill train maintenance depot in south west London,
714-530: A cap upon unregulated fares between London and Exeter as a mitigating measure; the CMA chose to accept this concession. By April 2018, concerns had reportedly grown over SWR's performance over previous months; there had been a noted rise in both the number of delayed services and outright cancellations. Due to these concerns, the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling , announced an independent review into
833-571: A company wholly owned by the Strategic Rail Authority , which would operate the franchise until it could be tendered again. New franchise holders Arriva Trains Wales and Merseyrail began operating. FirstGroup purchased GB Railways which owned the Anglia Railways and Hull Trains businesses. A policy where the majority of services (both long-distance and commuter) from each London terminal would all be operated by
952-415: A day in advance. South Western Railway inherited a fleet of Classes 158 , 159 , 444 , 450 , 455 , 456 , 458 and 707 from South West Trains, and subsequently re-introduced Class 442 trains which had operated on Gatwick Express after earlier service with South West Trains. The current fleet for the Island Line, Class 484 , entered service on 1 November 2021. During March 2020, the Class 442 fleet
1071-432: A gay couple should walk into a hotel and be turned away because they are a gay couple, and I think that is where the dividing line comes." When the recording was released by The Observer , on 3 April 2010, Grayling's comments caused an angry response from gay rights campaigners, with Ben Summerskill , Chief Executive of the gay rights group Stonewall , saying that this position would be "illegal" and "very alarming to
1190-468: A gay woman affected by LGBT rights I am on record saying you should vote Conservative, and I want to reverse that. I want to go on record to say don't vote Conservative. I'd go as far to say that I'll vote Labour at this general election." Beaumont-Bott was joined in defecting from the Conservatives to Labour a week later by gay rights campaigner David Heathcote. Grayling's comments were defended by
1309-562: A lot of gay people who may have been thinking of voting Conservative". Lord Mandelson , the most senior gay minister in the (then Labour) Government, added that the comment showed that the Conservative Party had not changed, that "when the camera is on they say one thing, but when the camera is off they say another". Conservative Party leader David Cameron was subsequently urged to "back or sack" Grayling, with gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell saying that "Cameron's silence
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#17327722840531428-429: A move because it could put those services "in the clutches of a Labour mayor". The leak led to Grayling being accused of putting his party's political interests over those of the public and commuters, as well as members of his own party calling for his resignation. On the last day before parliament closed for its summer recess in 2017, Grayling acknowledged that he had cancelled multiple railway electrification schemes in
1547-511: A national network owner. Franchises were initially let by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF). This was in turn replaced by the Strategic Rail Authority , which has since been abolished. For England, franchising is now the responsibility of the Department for Transport in the majority of cases. In Scotland, it is the responsibility of Transport Scotland . In Wales, since 2017,
1666-646: A national timetable and online journey planner facility, and the operation of the various Railcard discount schemes. Eurostar is also a member of the RDG, though it is not itself a TOC. For historical and geographical reasons the railway network of the United Kingdom is split into two independent systems: one in Great Britain (including the Isle of Wight ), and one in Northern Ireland, which
1785-540: A number of commentators, including the Today Programme presenter and gay broadcaster Evan Davis and leading Christian groups. Grayling apologised on 9 April 2010, saying: "I am sorry if what I said gave the wrong impression, I certainly didn't intend to offend anyone... I voted for gay rights, I voted for this particular measure ." Various commentators speculated that he might have been "hidden away" by his party when he made relatively few public appearances in
1904-472: A population of about 600,000, was noted as having 191 gun related murders in the previous year, in comparison to Moss Side, population 17,537, which had none. Grayling came under criticism as Shadow Home Secretary over the Conservative Party's use of statistics on violent crime. In February 2010, the Conservative Party issued press releases to every constituency in the UK claiming that crime had "risen sharply" in
2023-586: A trainee, becoming a producer in 1986. He left the BBC in 1988 to join Channel 4 as an editor on its Business Daily television programme. He rejoined the BBC in 1991 as a business development manager on BBC Select . On leaving the BBC again in 1993, he briefly joined Charterhouse Productions as managing director before leaving several months later as it was wound up for failing to pay VAT. He ran several television production companies from late 1993, including managing
2142-653: A wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London , operates trains nearly all on its own network serving mostly its own stations: It is not a Train Operating Company by the definition here.) The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) (formerly the Association of Train Operating Companies) provides a commonality for the TOCs and provides some centralised co-ordination. Its activities include the provision of
2261-589: Is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993 . There are two types of TOC: most hold franchises let by the Department for Transport (DfT) through a tendering system, to operate services on certain routes for a specified duration, while a small number of open-access operators hold licences to provide supplementary services on chosen routes. These operators can run services for
2380-710: Is closely linked to the railway system of the Republic of Ireland. In Great Britain, passenger train services are operated by a number of companies, referred to as Train Operating Companies or TOCs, normally on the basis of regional franchises awarded by the DfT Rail Group. Until 2005 this role was performed by the Strategic Rail Authority . The infrastructure of the railways in England, Scotland, and Wales – including tracks and signalling –
2499-472: Is owned and operated not by the train companies but by Network Rail , which took over responsibility from Railtrack in 2002. Most passenger trains are owned by a small number of rolling stock companies (ROSCO) and are leased to the individual TOCs. However, a handful of TOCs own and maintain some of their own rolling stock. Train operating companies also operate most of the network's stations , in their role as station facility owners (SFO), in which they lease
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#17327722840532618-554: Is to be returned to government control, under the management of the National Probation Service , reversing Grayling's policy. The abolition of Grayling's 'payment by results' system took place in December 2020, terminating the contracts of the private sector providers two years early. During the 2017–18 period 'serious further offences', which include crimes such as murder and rape had increased by 21% compared to
2737-489: Is worrying. Many voters – gay and straight – will be disturbed by his failure to swiftly disown Grayling's support for homophobic discrimination. What does this say about the sincerity and seriousness of his commitment to gay equality?" Anastasia Beaumont-Bott, founder of LGBTory , a gay rights group which campaigns for the Conservatives, announced that she would be voting for Labour , not the Conservatives, in response to Grayling's comments. She said, "I feel guilty because as
2856-635: The Cabinet as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and served until 2015. He was the first non-lawyer to have served as Lord Chancellor for at least 440 years. He was Leader of the House of Commons and the Lord President of the Council from 2015 to 2016. In the majority and minority May governments , Grayling served as Secretary of State for Transport . Grayling stood down from
2975-670: The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 to the House of Commons. The Bill included measures to outlaw "revenge porn". In October 2014, Grayling unveiled the Conservative Party 's proposals for reforms to human rights in order to curb the European Court of Human Rights ' influence over British court rulings, whilst honouring the text of the original Convention on Human Rights in a British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. In December 2013, Alan Turing
3094-561: The Crown Court were increased to £1,200. In January 2015, data relating to three fatal police shootings including details of marksmen and the deceased's family were lost in the post by the Justice Department. According to The Guardian it was particularly embarrassing for Grayling as the government was claiming it needed to access personal data to deal with terrorism and could keep it securely. The data included details of
3213-824: The Greater Anglia franchise on 5 February 2012. In September 2012, FirstGroup was awarded the right to operate the West Coast franchise which provoked a backlash from incumbent Virgin Trains West Coast. As a result of the Department for Transport having provided incorrect information during the bid process, the offer was withdrawn in October 2012 and £40 million of bid costs refunded. In September 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway took over services formerly operated by First Capital Connect as part of
3332-590: The InterCity East Coast franchise. Chris Grayling Christopher Stephen Grayling, Baron Grayling , PC (born 1 April 1962), is a British politician and author who served as Secretary of State for Justice from 2012 to 2015, Leader of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Transport from 2016 until 2019. A member of the Conservative Party , he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Epsom and Ewell from 2001 to 2024. Before entering politics, Grayling worked in
3451-561: The Justice Select Committee , following a year-long prison inquiry, was critical of Justice ministers for apparent complacency about a 38% rise in prison deaths since 2012. The committee concluded that efficiency savings and staffing shortages had made "a significant contribution to the deterioration in safety" in prisons. The committee commended Grayling for his goal of creating a nationwide network of resettlement prisons. A pioneering scheme to help inmates rehabilitate in
3570-709: The Labour -held marginal seat of Warrington South at the 1997 general election , but was defeated by Labour candidate Helen Southworth by 10,807 votes. He was elected as a councillor for the Hillside ward in the London Borough of Merton in 1998 and remained on the council until 2002. Grayling was elected to the House of Commons to represent the Surrey seat of Epsom and Ewell at the 2001 general election following
3689-578: The Mark Duggan shooting incident which had triggered the 2011 England riots . On multiple occasions in 2014 and 2015, Fathers 4 Justice protesters targeted Grayling's constituency home in Ashtead, Surrey in January and October 2015. Other incidents included a weekend protest camp set up outside his house by four protesters. After the 2015 general election , Grayling was appointed Leader of
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3808-839: The Metro buses in Belfast and Ulsterbus coaches around the country. NIR is not a TOC under the terms of the Railways Act 1993 , which only applies to Great Britain. The cross-border service Enterprise (Belfast–Dublin) is jointly operated with Iarnród Éireann , the publicly owned national railway company of the Republic of Ireland. Upon privatisation in 1994, the three passenger-operating sectors of British Rail ( InterCity , Network SouthEast and Regional Railways ) were divided, and their existing operations were let as 25 franchises: The privatisation process began when BR's passenger sectors were divided into 25 train operating units which were gradually incorporated as publicly owned subsidiaries of
3927-474: The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) undertook 27 days of strikes. These were in protest to the potential introduction of DOO (driver only operation) on SWR's new fleet of Bombardier-built Class 701 multiple units, which would thereby nullify the role of the guard. In January 2020, SWR announced that they were in discussions with the government regarding the future of
4046-736: The North East Regional franchise and the North West Regional franchise . In 2004, these were altered into the TransPennine franchise, for intercity services, and the Northern franchise, for local services that were awarded to First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail respectively. Some North West services were transferred to the Arriva Trains Wales franchise. In the same year, Thames Trains
4165-577: The Opposition Whips' Office by Iain Duncan Smith in 2002, moving to become a Spokesman for Health later in the year. He became a Spokesman for Education and Skills by Michael Howard in 2003. Following the 2005 general election , he became a member of Howard's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and, after the election of David Cameron as the leader of the Conservative Party , in December 2005, he served as
4284-514: The Parliamentary estate had been discovered attempting to remove references to Chris Grayling's role in the expenses scandal from his Misplaced Pages page. They attempted the edit to remove the information 5 times and later received a warning from a Misplaced Pages administrator. As Shadow Home Secretary, Grayling provoked controversy in August 2009 when he compared Manchester 's Moss Side area to
4403-590: The Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron in 2005 as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport . In 2007, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions , and in 2009 he was appointed Shadow Home Secretary . Following the 2010 general election and the formation of the Cameron–Clegg coalition , Grayling was made Minister of State for Employment . In September 2012, he was appointed to
4522-549: The Shadow Secretary of State for Transport . In June 2007, he was made Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions , a post he held until January 2009 when he became Shadow Home Secretary . Grayling became known as a national politician through his "attack dog" pressure on leading Labour politicians. He was heavily involved in the questioning of David Blunkett , the then Work and Pensions Secretary, over his business affairs, which led to Blunkett's resignation in 2005. Grayling challenged Tony Blair and his wife Cherie over
4641-572: The Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise and branded them as Thameslink and Great Northern. Services operated by Southern , another Govia subsidiary, were merged into the new franchise in the following year. Hull Trains became a 100% subsidiary of FirstGroup when the 80% shareholder bought out its partners. In March 2015, a Stagecoach and Virgin joint venture trading as Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating
4760-791: The passenger transport executive or other civic body responsible for administering public transport. One of these bodies, the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (Merseytravel) is responsible for one of three National Rail franchises not awarded by central government, namely the Merseyrail franchise, while certain National Rail services in North London came under the control of TfL in November 2007 as London Overground. Two other franchises,
4879-564: The "rushed implementation" of the reforms. As a result, the MoJ's aim of delivering cuts in reoffending had not been achieved, with reoffending rates having "increased significantly", at a cost £467 million higher than predicted. However, a report released in January 2020 by the MoJ stated that due to the reforms introduced by Grayling, adult and juvenile reoffending rates decreased substantially. In May 2019, incumbent Justice Secretary, David Gauke , announced offender supervision in England and Wales
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4998-503: The "something for nothing culture". More people than ever were found fit to work as part of a package of measures in a £5 billion program to make work for the long-term unemployed. Grayling was promoted to the Cabinet on 4 September 2012, as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice . Sworn in as Lord Chancellor on 1 October 2012 at Westminster Abbey, he was elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn on 11 December 2012, due in part to his lack of legal qualifications. He
5117-821: The 2016–17 period in June 2019, a study published by the British Sociological Association described the privatisation of the probation system as an "unmitigated disaster" and found that it left the public at greater risk from ex-offenders released from prison. A prison "benchmarking" programme was introduced in 2012 by Grayling to reduce the costs of public sector prisons to match comparable private sector prisons, along with associated new core standards intended to result in prisoners having similar amounts of time spent outside their cells across similar prisons. Prison officer numbers were reduced from about 23,000 in 2012 to about 18,000 in 2015. In 2015,
5236-610: The 90 trains ordered had been accepted from Alstom. The trains began to be used for passengers in January 2024. Outer suburban routes: Train types formerly operated by South Western Railway include: The following train depots and stabling sidings are used for the South Western Railway fleet: Bournemouth depot is southwest of Bournemouth station , occupying the approach to the former Bournemouth West station . Farnham Traincare Depot , in Weydon Lane,
5355-528: The American TV crime drama The Wire . His comments received an angry response from some Manchester locals and criticism from the police. Having been out on patrol for a day with the police, observing the results of a shooting at a house, he described himself as having witnessed an "urban war". Police responded that gang-related shootings in Greater Manchester had fallen by 82 per cent from
5474-565: The British Railways Board. They acted as shadow franchises prior to being put to tender: The opening of the Channel Tunnel saw operations by Eurostar begin from London Waterloo to Paris and Brussels . The franchising process was implemented, with various private companies taking over the shadow franchises. Three were awarded to management buyouts . The Great Western Holdings ' management also were awarded
5593-686: The Cabinet when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019. Johnson hoped for Grayling to become Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee by being voted in by the Conservative majority on the committee. However, fellow Conservative Julian Lewis defeated Grayling in the ballot by using opposition votes to secure a majority, in what was seen as a blow to Johnson and his adviser Dominic Cummings . Six weeks later, Grayling resigned from
5712-659: The East Coast franchise. In April 2008, Wrexham & Shropshire began operating open access services between Wrexham and London Marylebone . In June 2008, the Gatwick Express franchise was integrated with the South Central franchise operated by Southern . The government announced that National Express East Coast would have its franchise to operate intercity services along the ECML terminated, and that
5831-402: The House of Commons and Lord President of the Council . Michael Gove replaced Grayling as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. Grayling led Theresa May's campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and thus also as successor to David Cameron as Prime Minister, following Cameron's resignation in June 2016. May won the contest by default following the withdrawal of
5950-450: The House of Commons is sitting." During the Parliamentary expenses scandal , The Daily Telegraph reported that Grayling refitted and redecorated the flat in 2005 costing over £5,000. Grayling's expenses issue was seen as embarrassing for the Conservative Party as he had previously criticised Labour ministers for being implicated in sleaze scandals. In 2010, it was reported by the Daily Telegraph that an IP address associated with
6069-417: The Island Line was also replaced by the Class 484 during 2021. During April 2018, amid concerns of SWR's performance, the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling , announced an independent review into SWR and Network Rail . Between 2 December 2019 and 2 January 2020, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) undertook 27 days of strikes. Further industrial action by SWR's staff
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#17327722840536188-446: The North West Regional Railways franchise. The remainder were divided between a handful of major transport operators: In Northern Ireland, NIR stopped using its own branding on the Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin when it purchased new rolling stock in conjunction with IÉ, instead launching Enterprise as a separate brand name. Great Western Holdings , which operated Great Western Trains and North West Trains, became
6307-571: The Portsmouth Direct Line had been dropped, and that South Western Railway has no current plans to use the 458/4s. On June 24, 2024, the first Class 458/4 entered public service, initially doing limited outer suburban routes such as London Waterloo to Weybridge via Addlestone. Classes 455 , 456 and 707 fleets will be replaced by 30 five-car and 60 ten-car Class 701 units built at Bombardier's Derby Litchurch Lane Works , financed by ROSCO Rock Rail for £1 billion , for use on Reading , Windsor and London suburban services. By June 2023, 42 of
6426-446: The RAF offered the assistance of a specialist anti-drone team almost immediately but Grayling's department – which would have had to pay for the service – was reluctant to accept. On 29 December 2018, it emerged that Grayling's department had awarded £46.6m to French firm Brittany Ferries , £42.5m to Danish shipping firm DFDS , and £13.8m to British firm Seaborne Freight , to provide additional cross-channel freight capacity in case of
6545-411: The Scottish national franchise, currently operated by ScotRail , and the Welsh domestic franchise, operated by Transport for Wales , are awarded by the devolved governments of the two constituent nations. The Rail Delivery Group is the coordinating body of the train operating companies in Great Britain and owns the National Rail brand, which uses the former British Rail double-arrow logo and organises
6664-413: The South Western Railway official website (see External links below) . As of December 2023, its routes off-peak Monday to Friday, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), include: Improvements promised under the 2017 contract were: As of May 2019, there is also an hourly Sunday service between Reading and Salisbury via Basingstoke (with trains running between morning and evening). In August 2021,
6783-410: The UK. They failed, however, to take into account the more rigorous system for recording crime. The chairman of the UK Statistics Authority , Sir Michael Scholar , said that the figures Grayling was using were "likely to mislead the public" and "likely to damage public trust in official statistics" as the way in which crime was calculated had been changed in 2002. A Conservative-commissioned report by
6902-439: The West of England Main Line which is always operated by Class 158 or Class 159 DMUs (because it is unelectrified) and the Alton Line which also sees the occasional use of Class 458 units. South Western Railway also operates many suburban "Metro" services in and around London. These all run between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction , where they split into two separate routes: via Putney and via Wimbledon. All services on
7021-428: The area bounded by Hook, Alton, Guildford, Reading and Dorking, in order to maximise available passenger space on the most crowded trains. SWR operates regular services on four mainline routes: In total, there are 14 mainline trains per hour departing London Waterloo in the off-peak; this number increases in the peak hours. The majority of mainline services are operated by Class 444 or Class 450 EMUs , except for
7140-466: The buildings and associated land from Network Rail. Network Rail manages some major railway stations and several stations are operated by London Underground or other companies. Most passenger TOCs in Great Britain are privately owned. The majority of these hold franchises to operate rail services on specific parts of the railway and come under the auspices of the National Rail brand. In addition, companies are able to bid for "paths" (specific parts of
7259-460: The committee apparently due to his failure to become chair. He stood down at the 2024 general election and was appointed to the House of Lords . Grayling was born in London and grew up in Buckinghamshire , where he was educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe . He then went to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge , where he graduated with an upper-second class Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1984. Grayling joined BBC News in 1985 as
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#17327722840537378-404: The common ticketing structure. Many of the train operating companies are in fact parts of larger companies which operate multiple franchises. The railway network in Northern Ireland is managed differently from the rest of the UK. The sole company in Northern Ireland that operates trains is NI Railways , who are a subsidiary of Translink , the publicly owned transport corporation, which also runs
7497-435: The community where they are released. Grayling's proposed cuts to legal aid were widely criticised by the legal profession. In May 2013, 90 Queen's Counsels signed a letter sent to The Daily Telegraph that branded the cuts "unjust", as they would seriously undermine the rule of law. 6 January 2014 saw the first strike in British history by barristers and solicitors in protest at the cuts. In February 2014, he introduced
7616-421: The community. Grayling's ban on books being sent into UK prisons was widely criticised by the Howard League for Penal Reform and the literary establishment, including Philip Pullman , Mark Haddon , Anthony Horowitz , Susan Hill and Emma Donoghue . The ban was described as obscene by Shaun Attwood of the TV show Banged Up Abroad who read over a thousand books in prison and credited books for being
7735-463: The company announced the launch of "assisted boarding points" at all 189 stations on its network, allowing disabled or elderly passengers to ask for assistance onboard trains with as little as ten minutes' notice. The scheme will include clear signage at stations, with QR codes allowing customers to send details of the assistance they require and their planned journey to staff, replacing older systems wherein assisted journeys had to be booked six hours to
7854-412: The contents of reports and Grayling's department for using financial controls to influence what was inspected, thereby threatening the independence of the Inspector's role. In March 2019, the UK National Audit Office issued a report on the reforms of the probation system in England and Wales initiated by Grayling during his tenure at the MoJ stating that the Ministry had "set itself up to fail" through
7973-486: The contract was extended to May 2025. During July 2015, the Department for Transport (DfT) abandoned efforts to negotiate an extension with the incumbent operator of the South Western franchise, South West Trains , (owned by British transport conglomerate Stagecoach ) and announced that the South Western franchise would be retendered for in the coming years. In February 2016, the DfT announced that two companies, FirstGroup and Stagecoach, had been shortlisted to bid for
8092-403: The contract was further extended until May 2025. SWR is one of several train operators impacted by the 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes , which are the first national rail strikes in the UK for three decades. Its workers are amongst those who are participating in industrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions. SWR is capable of operating a minimal timetable on any of
8211-403: The corporate communications division of Workhouse Ltd from 1992 to 1995 and SSVC Group in Gerrards Cross from 1995 to 1997. Grayling became a public relations consultant in 1997 with Burson Marsteller , where he remained until his election to Parliament . Prior to joining the Conservative Party, Grayling was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Grayling was selected to contest
8330-453: The counties of Surrey , Hampshire , Berkshire and Dorset , as well as regional services in Devon , Somerset and Wiltshire . Its subsidiary Island Line operates services on the Isle of Wight . Rolling stock changes have included a comprehensive refurbishment of existing units and the acquisition of new-build Class 701 units from Bombardier to replace SWR's Class 455 , and Class 707 multiple units. The Class 483 fleet operated on
8449-403: The days of the general election campaign that followed. It is unclear whether his remarks were the reason that David Cameron chose to appoint Theresa May as Home Secretary in his new Cabinet, rather than Grayling who held the position in the Shadow Cabinet; Grayling was not given any Cabinet post, as had been predicted by some media commentators prior to the election. On 31 January 2013, it
8568-614: The deal had included an option for the DfT to extend it for a further 48 weeks. The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) held an inquiry into the awarding; during July 2017, it sought undertakings from SWR that it would not abuse its monopoly on services to the West of England , Dorset and Somerset , as FirstGroup also operated the Greater Western franchise in those regions. FirstGroup and MTR responded with an offer to implement
8687-434: The decision during the 2017 United Kingdom general election and for the remainder of the parliamentary session. In summer 2018, problems introducing a new timetable caused widespread disruption and the cancellation of 10% of trains on Northern and Thameslink. The Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway , Charles Horton, resigned, and Grayling faced a vote of confidence in the House of Commons on 19 June 2018, with
8806-518: The duration of the licence validity. The franchised operators have changed considerably since privatisation: previous franchises have been divided, merged, re-let to new operators, or renamed. Some privately-operated franchises have been taken over by a government-owned operator of last resort , due either to failing expectations or to events on the rail system as a whole. The term is also sometimes used to describe companies operating passenger or freight rail services over tracks owned by another company or
8925-567: The franchise following a £137 million loss, with termination of the contract being a possibility. By mid-2020, SWR had considerably curtailed its services in response to the significant decline of passenger travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic . From 15 June 2020, both passengers and staff on public transport in England, including SWR services, were required to wear face coverings while travelling, and that anyone failing to do so would be liable to be refused travel or fined. In December 2020, it
9044-514: The franchise would pass into the hands of public-sector company, Directly Operated Railways , which acted as the parent for East Coast . Grand Central open-access services from London to Bradford began on 23 May 2010. DB Regio's operations in the UK were integrated into those of Arriva following the acquisition of the latter by Deutsche Bahn in the previous year. Owing to continuing losses, Wrexham & Shropshire ceased operating on 28 January 2011. Abellio Greater Anglia began operating
9163-401: The franchising system, beginning its services from London Paddington to Heathrow with operating rights until 2023. The shareholdings of M40 Trains were restructured with John Laing owning 84% of the company with the remaining 16% held by former BR managers. MTL which operated Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit and Prism Rail that operated c2c (renamed from LTS Rail earlier in
9282-483: The independent House of Commons library suggested that, depending on how figures were calculated, Grayling's claims may have been justifiable and that violent crime may have risen in the period between 1998 and 2009. The incumbent Home Secretary, Alan Johnson , called Grayling's use of crime statistics "dodgy" and said that the British Crime Survey clearly showed that violent crime had reduced by 41% over
9401-484: The judiciary against criticism from his colleagues and the reduction of legal aid to a bare minimum." One of Grayling's first acts at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was to commence a project to change the way offenders were rehabilitated in an effort to cut reoffending rates. Under a system of "payment by results", private companies as well as charities were to play a greater role in looking after offenders on licence in
9520-477: The lifeblood of rehabilitation. The move was defended as being not about a ban on books being sent into prison, but about parcels being sent in, as giving prisons access to the latter would almost certainly increase the amount of contraband getting into the prison estate. The High Court ruled the ban illegal in December 2015. On stepping down from his role as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Harding criticised Grayling for "robustly" interfering with
9639-626: The money they made from lectures while Blair was Prime Minister. He also challenged minister Stephen Byers over his handling of the Railtrack collapse. Between 2001 and 2009, Grayling claimed expenses for his flat in Pimlico , close to the Houses of Parliament, despite having a constituency home no further than 17 miles away. Grayling said he uses the flat when "working very late" because he needs to "work very erratic and late hours most days when
9758-480: The moniker "Failing Grayling" used by The Guardian , The Independent , opposition MPs and allegedly his own Cabinet colleagues. In December 2016, Grayling blocked a move by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to give control of the metro services run by Southeastern to Transport for London . A leaked 2013 letter revealed Grayling had previously written to then-London mayor Boris Johnson saying he opposed such
9877-614: The name Wales & Borders . The remainder of Wales & West's services in the west of England were renamed Wessex Trains . John Laing bought out its partners in M40 Trains. Connex , having already lost the South Central franchise in 2001, was removed as franchisee of the South Eastern franchise in 2003 on the grounds of poor financial management. It was replaced as the franchise holder by South Eastern Trains ,
9996-574: The next South Western franchise. During June 2016, MTR Corporation partnered with FirstGroup in their bid, taking a 30% shareholding in the joint venture. During July 2016, the DfT issued the Invitation to Tender. During March 2017, the DfT announced that the South Western franchise had been awarded to First/MTR. At the time, it was stated that its franchise period was to commence from 20 August 2017 and run through to 18 August 2024, although
10115-401: The north of England that had been promised by David Cameron and George Osborne . In January 2018, Grayling was criticised by railway passengers and by Transport Select Committee members for his decision. In March 2018, it emerged that National Audit Office records showed Grayling to have made the decision several months earlier in 2017 than previously acknowledged, but had suppressed
10234-561: The off-peak; this number increases in peak hours. The main route via Wimbledon uses the slow tracks of the quadruple-track South West Main Line . Suburban trains run along the mainline between London and Woking. Branch lines on this route include: A total of 16 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Wimbledon in the off-peak; this number increases in peak hours. Routes that do not start or terminate at London Waterloo include: Details of each route, including maps and timetables, are on
10353-508: The only other contender, Andrea Leadsom , after the second round of the leadership ballot. Grayling was appointed as Secretary of State for Transport when Theresa May became Prime Minister in July 2016. He became criticised for various gaffes and controversies, such as injuring a cyclist by unsafely opening the door of his ministerial car in October 2016 and misspending £2.7 billion of public funds over his tenure as Transport Secretary. Because of such reports, he became known by
10472-641: The overall National Rail timetable) to operate their own services, which the franchises do not operate – these operators are classed as open-access operators and are not franchise holders. Currently in Great Britain, there are three open-access operators: Hull Trains , which runs services between London King's Cross and Hull , Grand Central , which operates between King's Cross and Sunderland and between King's Cross and Bradford , and Lumo , which operates between King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley . In addition, there are operators that fall outside
10591-491: The performance of South Western Railway and Network Rail; the review was welcomed by Winchester's MP, Steve Brine . During July 2018, reports emerged that FirstGroup/MTR were in the process of renegotiating the SWR contract, allegedly due to the operator's inability to deliver on many of its promised improvements, as well as its declining performance and industrial action by its own staff. Between 2 December 2019 and 2 January 2020,
10710-502: The planned dates for the strikes due to the number of staff involved. South Western Railway is the main operator for western Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, and also serves Greater London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon. Most SWR services run on electrified lines using the 750 V DC third-rail system. There is a diesel fleet for services on the West of England line to Salisbury and Exeter, using
10829-479: The previous year and that to speak of "urban war" was "sensationalistic". A local councillor, Roy Walters, complained of Moss Side unfairly being a "negative target" due to historical associations. Defending his comments, Grayling said, "I didn't say Moss Side equals Baltimore. What I said is that we have in Moss Side symptoms of a gang conflict in this country which I find profoundly disturbing." Baltimore, with
10948-453: The principal fast services from London to those cities, which are operated from London Paddington by Great Western Railway . The majority of its passengers are on suburban commuter lines in inner and south-west London, Surrey, east Berkshire, and north-east Hampshire. As with most rail companies, non-folding bicycles are banned from peak-time trains to and from London. However, these restrictions apply only to cyclists boarding or alighting in
11067-495: The prior court action by HMRC against Seaborne Freight's chief executive, the amount of unpaid tax was not reported, but the former company had a total of £1.78 million in unpaid debts. Grayling's unilateral decision to use Ostend , instead of Calais, as the continental terminal for some ferry services, was not appreciated in Calais, whose port chairman told Grayling he was no longer welcome there. Seaborne Freight's contract
11186-404: The purview of National Rail, which operate specific services which are recent additions to Britain's railways. The main examples are Eurostar, which operates to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel , and Heathrow Express , which runs fast services from London to Heathrow Airport . A number of metropolitan railways on the network are operated by the local franchise holder in conjunction with
11305-753: The responsibility for the specification and procurement of the Wales & Borders franchise belongs to Transport for Wales . In two parts of England, local government agencies are responsible: in Merseyside , the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive lets the Merseyrail franchise, while in London, Transport for London (TfL) oversees the new London Overground and Elizabeth line concessions. ( London Underground ,
11424-558: The resulting division 305–285 in Grayling's favour. Govia Thameslink did not need to pay performance penalties for this disruption after an agreement made in 2017. Following the December 2018 Gatwick Airport drone incident , The Times reported that Grayling had ignored "numerous warnings" about the threat posed by drones, halting draft legislation due for publication in early 2019 thereby allowing civil servants to be diverted to Brexit related tasks. According to The Daily Telegraph ,
11543-526: The retirement of the veteran Tory MP Archie Hamilton . Grayling held the seat with a majority of 10,080 and has been returned as MP there since. He made his maiden speech on 25 June 2001. In 2019, Grayling announced that Stoneleigh train station was to be given step-free access. Grayling served on the Environment, Transport and the Regions Select committee from 2001 until he was promoted to
11662-501: The routes operated by Silverlink in London, which were combined with the extended East London line in 2011. Services are controlled directly by TfL, with running of the trains themselves contracted to a private company as an operating concession. This is different from an ordinary franchise, as the train operator is not given control of the strategic aspects of the operation, such as pricing, timetabling and rolling stock procurement. In December 2007, National Express East Coast took over
11781-628: The running of the InterCity East Coast franchise from GNER . Grand Central also began operating its services between London and Sunderland as an open access operator. In January 2008, Laing Rail which owned M40 Trains and a 50% shareholding in London Overground Rail Operations was sold to Deutsche Bahn , becoming part of the DB Regio Group. In February 2008, One was re-branded by National Express as National Express East Anglia to bring it into line with
11900-532: The same franchise was partially enacted. In April 2004, One commenced operating the Greater Anglia franchise that combined the Anglia Railways and First Great Eastern franchises with the West Anglia Great Northern services radiating out from Liverpool Street . The remainder continuing to be operated as WAGN . In the North of England, prior to 2004 there were two regional franchises,
12019-541: The same period. In March 2010, Grayling was recorded at an open meeting of the Centre for Policy Studies think tank saying that during the debates on civil liberties under the Labour Government, he had felt that Christians should have the right to live by their consciences and that Christian owners of bed and breakfasts should have the right to turn away gay couples. Grayling said: "I personally always took
12138-588: The south-east of England, were replaced as the operator of the Network SouthCentral franchise by Govia , who began operating it under the name South Central . Also in 2001, a new franchise, the Wales & Borders franchise was created by the amalgamation of Valley Lines and the majority of services in Wales and the Borders held by Wales & West . The new franchise was initially operated under
12257-629: The suburban part of the network are operated by Class 450 , Class 455 , Class 458 and Class 701 electric multiple units. The main route via Putney is known as the Waterloo to Reading Line . It runs between London and Reading and passes through towns such as Staines-upon-Thames , Ascot and Bracknell . It operates as a fast service as far as Staines , with Reading trains only calling at Clapham Junction , Richmond , Twickenham and Feltham . Branch lines on this route include: A total of 12 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Putney in
12376-593: The television and film industry. Grayling was born in London and studied history at Cambridge University . He wrote a number of books as well as working for the BBC and Channel 4 before going into politics. A member of the Social Democratic Party until 1988, he then joined the Conservatives . First elected to Parliament in the 2001 general election for Epsom and Ewell , he was appointed to
12495-422: The unelectrified track beyond Worting Junction just west of Basingstoke, and for Salisbury to Southampton via Romsey services which also serve Eastleigh. From London Waterloo , SWR's London terminus, long-distance trains run to southern England, including the major coastal population centres of Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. There are also trains to Reading and Exeter, but these are not
12614-428: The view that, if you look at the case of should a Christian hotel owner have the right to exclude a gay couple from a hotel, I took the view that if it's a question of somebody who's doing a B&B in their own home, that individual should have the right to decide who does and who doesn't come into their own home. If they are running a hotel on the high street, I really don't think that it is right in this day and age that
12733-505: The year), Valley Lines Trains , Wales & West , and West Anglia Great Northern were purchased by Arriva and National Express respectively, resulting in the latter owning nine franchises. The two companies transferred to Arriva were renamed Arriva Trains Merseyside and Arriva Trains Northern. The first open access operator using the National Rail brand, Hull Trains , commenced running its services between King's Cross and Hull . In 2001, Connex , which had operated two franchises in
12852-526: Was announced that terms for the abolition of the franchise system for SWR had been agreed, and that the company would be given a management contract to run until 1 April 2023 when the ERMA (Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement) for the franchise ends in March 2021. During October 2021, the contract was updated with a finish date of 28 May 2023, with an option to extend further if required by the DfT. In February 2023,
12971-634: Was built in 1897, is inside the triangular junction of the Shepperton Branch Line with the Kingston Loop Line, just yards from Strawberry Hill railway station . Wimbledon Traincare Depot is located between Wimbledon and Earlsfield stations, on the main line to Waterloo, next to the Wimbledon railway viaduct. Train operating company In the railway system of Great Britain , a train operating company ( TOC )
13090-532: Was cancelled on 8 February 2019 by Grayling's department after the Irish firm, Arklow Shipping , which was secretly intended to run the contract decided to pull out. The collapse of the contract led to calls from both sides of parliament for Grayling's dismissal. On 13 February 2019, Grayling's department said that, following the collapse of the Seaborne Freight contract, it had "run out of time" to secure
13209-544: Was granted a pardon by the Queen, after a process initiated by Grayling in his capacity as Lord Chancellor . In April 2015, Grayling introduced mandatory flat-fee court charges for magistrates' courts , the lowest fee being £150 for a guilty plea. Lawyers feared that defendants may plead guilty to avoid falling into debt, and the president of the Law Society described the change as a threat to fair trials. The charges for
13328-406: Was later revealed that Seaborne Freight issued terms and conditions designed for a food delivery business, not ferries; that its chief executive previously ran a ship chartering business that was forced into liquidation following court petitions from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); and that auditors performing the due diligence checks had reported serious concerns about the contract. In relation to
13447-603: Was opened by the Southern Railway at the time of the electrification of the Portsmouth and Alton lines in 1937. Feltham depot was completed in 2021; it is intended to provide stabling for the Class 701 units. Fratton Traincare Depot is located on central Portsea Island, alongside Fratton station. Northam Traincare Facility was built by Siemens in 2002 as the home depot for the Desiro fleet as part of
13566-461: Was reported that Grayling would vote in favour of same-sex marriage in England and Wales. On 13 May 2010, Grayling was appointed Minister of State for Employment and was sworn into the Privy Council on 28 May. As minister at DWP he was responsible for jobcentres. Measures were introduced to reduce costs, leaving 100,000 staff redundant in offices around the country. In the context of
13685-548: Was superseded by First Great Western Link and ScotRail (National Express) by First ScotRail . A new operator, Heathrow Connect , jointly run by BAA and First Great Western , began operating stopping services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport complementing the Heathrow Express. Three new integrated franchises began operating in April 2006: Further integrations occurred in 2007. The first of these
13804-570: Was the South Western franchise ; this merged the original South West Trains franchise with the Island Line Trains franchise on the Isle of Wight and began operating in February 2007 under the name South West Trains, with Island Line retained as a separate brand. In November 2007, three new integrated franchises began operating: In addition to these three, a further new operator, London Overground Rail Operations , took control of
13923-898: Was the first non-lawyer to have served as Lord Chancellor for at least 440 years. (It was reported that the last such non-lawyer was the Earl of Shaftesbury in 1672–73; but the Earl was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1638. ) Grayling's appointment was widely seen as a return to a more hard line approach than that of his predecessor, Clarke. Grayling pursued a "tough justice" agenda, including ending automatic early release for terrorists and child rapists, ending simple cautions for serious offences, and introducing greater protections for householders who defend themselves against intruders. The leading human rights barrister Lord Pannick described Grayling's performance as "notable only for his attempts to restrict judicial reviews and human rights, his failure to protect
14042-423: Was undertaken in 2022. In response to the decrease in passenger travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic , SWR had considerably curtailed its services by mid-2020. In January 2020, SWR announced that they were in discussions with the government regarding the future of the franchise. In December 2020, it was announced that SWR's franchise would be abolished and replaced by a shorter management contract. In February 2023,
14161-512: Was withdrawn. One year later, SWR decided that they would not be returned to service and their re-introduction has been cancelled. In March 2021, SWR announced it would be keeping 28 Class 458 units and will refurbish and reconfigure them to four carriages for planned deployment on the Portsmouth Direct Line instead of the Class 442. In early 2024 it was announced that the plan to use the refurbished and reconfigured Class 458s on
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