Will Forster MP, Chair of the Southwestern Railway APPG, has slammed rail fare increases, set to come through next year. 

This means commuters between Woking and London face an eye-watering increase of £313.55 per year, making the overall cost £5,719.55.

New figures released today (20 August 2025) indicate that regulated rail fares are set to rise to heights of 6% in 2026-27 should the government choose to follow existing policy and increase fares in line with July’s Retail Price Index. 

Will Forster, MP for Woking, is calling for these rail fares to be frozen.

Will recently sent a letter to Sir Andrew Haines of Network Rail about the repeated signalling failures causing extensive delays, ongoing overcrowding at peak times, and frequent service disruption on Southwestern Railway (SWR) services.  

Will is chair of the Southwestern Railway APPG and has repeated his call for a rail fare freeze, on behalf of every MP and their constituents on the route. SWR covers over 60 constituencies in the UK.

The experience of travelling on SWR has become increasingly stressful, uncomfortable, and unreliable. Passengers rightly expect better. Now with these rail fare increases, people are getting an even worse deal.

 

Commenting on the rail fare rise, Will Forster, Liberal Democrat MP for Woking said: 

“At a time of endless cancellations and a cost of living crisis, it is appalling that commuters are being asked to pay more and get less.

“What was chaos under the Conservatives has become out of touch complacency under Labour. We’re still being ripped off, but now with a different government.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a freeze on fares and a service people can actually rely on. Hiking prices now is a false economy that will only drive passengers away.

“I’ll be raising this directly with South Western Railway as Chair of the SWR APPG, so we can both put pressure on Labour over this ridiculous move in the cost of living crisis.”

 

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As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for South Western Railway, Will Forster MP has written to Network Rail’s Chief Executive to raise serious concerns about the declining performance and passenger experience on the SWR network. Backed by cross-party MPs, the letter calls for immediate answers and improvements to restore public confidence in this vital rail service.

The letter reads:

Sir Andrew Haines OBE, Chief Executive
Network Rail
1 Eversholt Street
London
NW1 2DN

Dear Andrew,

South Western Railway: Declining Performance and Passenger Experience

I am writing to you in my capacity as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for South Western Railway (SWR) to raise serious concerns about the deteriorating service on the South Western Railway network, and to seek urgent answers about what is being done to address it. Since the nationalisation of SWR’s operations, my constituents, and passengers across the region, have reported a sharp decline in service quality.

There have been repeated signalling failures causing extensive delays, ongoing overcrowding at peak times, and frequent service disruption. The experience of travelling on SWR has become increasingly stressful, uncomfortable, and unreliable. Passengers rightly expect better, especially given the importance of this rail network to commuters, our economy, and efforts to reduce car usage. Please can you explain why the service has deteriorated so quickly and what is being done to fix these recurring problems?

I would be grateful if you could provide a detailed explanation of the following:

1. What steps Network Rail is taking to improve signalling infrastructure and reduce the frequency of failures on the SWR network;
2. What joint plans exist between Network Rail and SWR to address persistent overcrowding, particularly during peak travel times;
3. What passengers can expect in terms of service improvements and timelines for delivery.

As Chair of the APPG and listening to cross party colleagues who form the APPG, I believe it is vital that passengers are given clear information and accountability is maintained. Members of Parliament expect swift action to be taken to restore confidence in this key railway route.

I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,
Will

Will Forster MP
Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for South Western Railway
Member of Parliament for Woking

Co-signatories:
Zöe Franklin MP
Liz Jarvis MP
Munira Wilson MP
Paul Kohler MP
Edward Morello MP
Chris Coghlan MP
Al Pinkerton MP
Luke Taylor MP
Helen Maguire MP
Alex Brewer MP

A little over a year ago, on 5^th July 2024, I had the honour of a lifetime by being elected as Woking’s Member of Parliament – and what a year it has been!  

I’ve worked tirelessly to put our community first – tackling the issues that matter to local people and holding those in power to account. 

Here are some of the highlights of the big campaigns I have worked on throughout the course of the year... 

I have challenged the £2 billion debt crisis left by the previous Conservative-run Council by getting the Government to reduce the interest rate Woking has to pay. 

I’m also working to honour the legacy of Sara Sharif by campaigning for 'Sara’s Law' – new national standards to improve early intervention in child safeguarding, to help prevent such devastating tragedies in future. 

As Chair of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on South Western Railway, I’m fighting to improve rail services for commuters in Woking and beyond – making sure passengers get the reliable, affordable service they deserve. 

But that’s not all! In my final Woking News and Mail column before Parliament’s summer recess, I have taken an in depth look back at my first year, including getting to grips with the bizarre tradition of bobbing, upsetting a man with a sword and being told I've spoken too much in the chamber.  

You can read my column in full here. 

It’s been a hugely productive first year, and I’m proud of all we’ve achieved together... But this is only the beginning! As I head into my second year, I’m determined to keep listening, keep working, and keep delivering for everyone in Woking. 

A successful night for the Lib Dems in Woking’s by-elections! 

As many of you will know, for the last 16 years I have been a County Councillor in Woking South and Borough Councillor in Hoe Valley for the last 14 – but not anymore! 

After being elected as Woking’s MP, it quickly became apparent that I could not give my all to these positions. 

I had intended to step down prior to May’s local elections. With Woking Borough Council’s precarious financial position, I didn’t want to trigger by-elections and the associated costs. 

Sadly, the Labour government forced my hand by cancelling these, at the request of the Conservative administration on Surrey County Council, to fast-track local government reorganisation in the county.  

6 weeks ago, I tendered my resignation and on Thursday the by-elections were held. 

I’m very pleased to say that these were an enormous success for the Liberal Democrats with Deborah Hughes and Louise Morales both securing enormous victories on the Borough and County Council elections respectively – congratulations to both!  

This is a testament to the hard work of the Lib Dem team and a huge vote of confidence in the job we have done to stabilise council finances and deliver for the local community – the public has definitely noticed!  

Calling for urgent action on railway accessibility 

I would like to say that I was shocked to discover that one of the lifts at Woking station was closed for a staggering 40 days last year, but I wasn’t. I use the station on an almost daily basis and have witnessed first-hand the frequency of lift outages. 

This is completely unacceptable. Many Woking residents use the station on a daily basis, to get to work, school or an important hospital appointment.   

When the station lift is closed, wheelchair users and others with accessibility needs are left stranded. This doesn’t just cause significant disruption to someone’s day but can also be an upsetting or distressing experience.  

What’s even more alarming is the frequency of closures is increasing. 40 days is nearly triple the number of days it was closed in 2023, when it was unavailable for 14 days. 

The other two lifts at Woking Station also saw significant increases in downtime, with one out of service for 9 additional days and another for 24 more days than the previous year.   

These prolonged closures are simply unacceptable. That is why I’m calling on the Government to get to grips with the lack of accessibility at railways, hold rail companies and Network Rail to account, and ensure our transport system is accessible for everyone.  

I have also raised these concerns with South Western Railway (SWR) and they have informed me that an intermittent hardware fault is affecting the lift on the island platform.  

Because the lift is not performing reliably, it has been taken out of service until a further maintenance visit. A full repair, likely involving part replacement, is pending and SWR confirmed that they will follow up with Network Rail for a repair timescale.   

On a more positive note, they stated that signallers are actively routing trains onto platforms with step-free access whenever they know a passenger with accessibility needs is onboard or waiting.   

The Liberal Democrats and I will continue to press the government for wider accessibility for train stations with measures including reinvigorating the Access for All Programme (AfA) and creating a statutory duty on accessibility for the railway.    

Woking MP Will Forster calls for urgent action on railway accessibility 

New data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that one of the lifts at Woking Station was out of service for a shocking 40 days in 2024 – nearly triple the number of days it was closed in 2023, when it was unavailable for 14 days. 

The other two lifts at Woking Station also saw significant increases in downtime, with one out of service for 9 additional days and another for 24 more days than the previous year. 

Will Forster MP has warned that lift closures, especially when not properly announced, can leave wheelchair users and those with other accessibility needs “stranded” and in some cases can lead to an “upsetting or distressing experience.”  

Now with a full year’s experience as MP for Woking, Will commutes regularly via Woking Station and has witnessed first-hand the frequency of lift outages. He raised concerns with South Western Railway (SWR) last week in his role as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on SWR. 

SWR responded that an intermittent hardware fault is affecting the lift on the island platform. Because the lift is not performing reliably, it has been taken out of service until a further maintenance visit. A full repair, likely involving part replacement, is pending. SWR also confirmed that they will follow up with Network Rail for a repair timescale. 

On a more positive note, they stated that signallers are actively routing trains onto platforms with step-free access whenever they know a passenger with accessibility needs is onboard or waiting. 

Will Forster and the Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to address this issue to ensure wider accessibility for train stations with measures including reinvigorating the Access for All Programme (AfA) and creating a statutory duty on accessibility for the railway.  

Commenting, MP for Woking, Will Forster said: 

“Here in Woking many residents use the station on a daily basis, to get to work, school or an important hospital appointment.  

“When the station lift is closed, wheelchair users and others with accessibility needs are left stranded. This doesn’t just cause significant disruption to someone’s day but can also be an upsetting or distressing experience.  

“These prolonged closures are simply unacceptable. That is why I’m calling on the Government to get to grips with the lack of accessibility at railways, hold rail companies and Network Rail to account, and ensure our transport system is accessible for everyone.”  

Will Forster MP Marks One Year Since Historic Election Win – Vows to Keep Delivering for Woking 

One year ago, the Liberal Democrats made history, winning 72 seats across the country – including a landmark victory in Woking. Since then, Will Forster, Woking’s first-ever Liberal Democrat MP, has been standing up for local people and fighting hard to deliver real change.

Reflecting on his first year in Parliament, Will Forster said:

“It’s the honour of a lifetime to serve as the MP for Woking. Over the past year, I’ve worked tirelessly to put our community first – tackling the issues that matter to local people and holding those in power to account.

“That includes challenging the £2 billion debt crisis left by the previous Conservative-run Council by getting the Government to reduce the interest rate Woking has to pay and to ensure that the new local authority will not be burdened by debt.

“I’m also working to honour the legacy of Sara Sharif by campaigning for 'Sara’s Law' – new national standards to improve early intervention in child safeguarding, to help prevent such devastating tragedies in future.

“As Chair of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on South Western Railway, I’m fighting to improve rail services for commuters in Woking and beyond – making sure passengers get the reliable, affordable service they deserve.

“It’s been a hugely productive first year, and I’m proud of all we’ve achieved together. But this is just the beginning – I’m determined to keep listening, keep working, and keep delivering for everyone in Woking.”

Will updates us on his most recent meeting here:

As you may know, I have set up a cross parliamentary group and chaired our inaugural meeting, which includes Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs as well as representatives from SWR. You can find more about the group here: Woking MP leads new Parliamentary group to hold South Western Railway accountable - Will Forster MP

In our latest meeting this week we discussed passenger experience and accessibility with presentations from the representatives of SWR.

Firstly we examined ticket pricing and customer satisfaction. During this discussion myself and fellow MPs put forward casework testimonials and input we’ve received from our constituents and pressed SWR on their plans to manage this. Following this we received an update from SWR on their ‘Access for All’ funding which looks to upgrade accessibility standards to 50 stations which experienced delayed funding from the plans of the previous Conservative government.