Paul Maynard appointed as new rail minister

Paul Maynard is the government’s new rail minister. He takes over from Claire Perry, who quit the role on 15 July in the wake of concerns over the operation of the Southern Rail franchise.

He will be responsible for: rail major projects and growth;rail infrastructure, safety and security; passenger services; strategy, funding and sponsorship; integrated delivery and accessibility; and rail fares and ticketing.

Maynard has been Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys since May 2010.

The Campaign for Better Transport has called on him to make fixing the ongoing problems at Southern Rail and rolling out part-time season tickets his first priorities.

James MacColl, head of Campaigns at Campaign for Better Transport, said: “We’d like to welcome Mr Maynard to what is bound to be a difficult job. Top of his in-tray is sorting out the ongoing problems at Southern, which his predecessor said ‘feels like a failure’. It is time for someone to get a grip of the situation. Passengers who rely on the beleaguered Southern services need urgent action from government to get the franchise back on track and restore levels of service. 

"Nationally, action to roll out part-time season ticketing has been on the government’s agenda for several years with seemingly little progress and we hope now with a change of personnel comes a renewed effort to get flexible ticketing for part-time workers off the ground.”