Chris Bray

Councillor Chris Bray has written to the managing director of First Great Western demanding a better service for the people of Teignmouth.  Chris said “I wrote to complain about the appalling rail service that is presently being providing for the residents of Devon and in particular the people I represent, Teignmouth.”  Chris’s family use the railways on a regular basis, one going to Exeter daily and the other to Plymouth weekly.  He said, “They tell me there is a chaotic service, with cancellations and delays as a very regular feature.  To get a train to Sowton in Exeter arriving by 9am, Teignmouth residents already have to get up by 7am. Any cancellations or delays are more than frustrating.”  Chris, who is Devon County Councillor for Teignmouth, has heard some of the rolling stock being used described as, “like a cattle truck.” He argues,  “Devon have an ambitious plan to be the greenest county in England, which involves getting people out of their cars and onto public transport, where convenient. This cannot happen where the quality of service is poor and it is not convenient to use because of time involved, or cost.”  Cllr Bray is asking to be told what positive plans the train companies have for the future, to both improve reliability and rolling stock. In addition to writing to the train companies, Chris has written to the Director of Environment, Economy and Culture at Devon County Council to find out what the County Council is doing to put pressure on the companies to improve matters. He is pleased with the response, with the leaders of Devon County Council due to meet First Great Western’s Managing Director before the end of February, so that the County Council will have the opportunity of expressing its concerns directly to him then.