Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland says he has secured five additional services from London to Stevenage during evening peak times.

The Comet: Since the new timetable rollout in May, commuters have faced delays and cancellations on a daily basis. Picture: Peter AlveySince the new timetable rollout in May, commuters have faced delays and cancellations on a daily basis. Picture: Peter Alvey (Image: www.peteralvey.com)

Mr McPartland met with senior team members at Govia Thameslink last week to discuss some inconsistencies in the current timetable – which was introduced earlier this month to alleviate delays and cancellations caused by the new timetable rolled out on May 20.

As a result, five existing services that didn’t stop at Stevenage previously, now will.

Services from King’s Cross to Baldock and Royston – the 4.54pm, 5.24pm, 5.54pm, 6.24pm and 6.54pm – will now all call at Stevenage.

Looking further ahead, Govia hopes to have a fixed timetable based on the May 20 version in place by July – albeit with some services removed.

The MP said: “I understand the frustrations of passengers as I am a commuter myself and the services have just not been good enough.

“I have been in daily contact with Govia. I have met with the Secretary of State several times and been in almost daily contact with him on a range of issues. I welcomed the resignation of Charles Horton, the head of Govia, and I apologise once again to all those affected.

“It is clear the staff at Govia are working around the clock to try to resolve the issues under significant pressure. They ran me through the processes they are undertaking for the significant step change in services we will see next month and worked with me to resolve a number of issues.

“I have tried to get the best service for my constituents and there have been a number of additional services we have been able to introduce for both Knebworth and Stevenage over the last few weeks. However, I will not be satisfied until we have all the benefits of the new timetable for both of my stations.”

The May 20 timetable promised “improved reliability and more capacity across a wide region”, but has been beset with problems from the outset.

A Govia spokesman told the Comet: “We are working hard to re-plan how we use trains and train crew on Thameslink and Great Northern to deliver a new fixed, interim timetable in July that will prioritise peak trains and reduce service gaps, progressively delivering improvement.

“When this is finalised we will make sure it is publicised widely, in advance.”