Mark Hopwood, newly appointed managing director of South Western Railway has recently promised better services for its customers. He has been quoted saying that the company’s previously ‘not been good enough’. Mr Hopwood, who has over 30 years experience managing railway business, stated that he is ‘determined to find a solution‘ to strikes and delays that have troubled the company in the past.
Hopwood hopes to implement immediate changes to the company in order to help combat delays in South Western trains. He believes that many issues with the UK railway system are on an infrastructural level and has therefore pledged to work with Network Rail to address the issue at hand.
Passengers have become frustrated as strikes have continued at the same time as fares increased by 2.7%. Speaking on customer frustrations Mark Hopwood said this:
My previous experience tells me that a strong, collaborative relationship is key. I know that passengers don’t want to hear parts of the industry blaming each other for issues they just want to see fixed. So my approach is that it might not be our fault, but it is still our problem.
Hopwood has vowed to improve the South Western Railway through five commitments. To ensure the smoothest possible journey’s for passengers Hopwood has promised the following:
- To decrease delays and address the issue of trains running with fewer carriages or missing stops to make up for lost time.
- To improve reliability by introducing new and renovated trains.
- To increase transparency regarding company efforts and issues
- To ensure staff are able to provide necessary help and advice
- To hold themselves accountable to customers and report back on the progress that is being made.
