Passengers can have their say on how the future Southeastern rail service will be run.

The Department for Transport have opened a consultation to give the public a chance to air their views on how the service can be improved.

Only 77 per cent of passengers are satisfied with Southeastern services according to the latest Transport Focus survey, the worst performance in Britain apart from Southern and Thameslink.

Ambitions for the franchise include:

  • creating more space for passengers by running longer trains and upgrading or replacing older trains
  • increasing reliability and reducing delays by the train operator working closely with Network Rail
  • improving compensation arrangements with a simple automated system
  • introduction of a smarter payment system, including mobile phones
  • improving customer service with staff able to respond quickly and effectively to passenger’s needs

The new franchise, which will begin in December next year, could see the introduction of high-capacity metro-style carriages on the busiest lines.

It is hoped they would enable a "better balance" of seating and room for standing passengers, space for wheelchairs and pushchairs on shorter journeys and quicker boarding and alighting at stations.

Extending the number of carriages on stopping services from eight or 10 to 12 carriages and providing more seats on high-speed services is also being considered.

Government officials are examining a number of measures which could have a negative impact on some passengers.

They are proposing a reduction in the number of trains that call at some less well-used stations to cut journey times to key locations, and a limit in the choice of central London destinations from individual stations with the aim of providing a more regular and reliable service.

The operator which secures the franchise will be required to form an alliance with Network Rail, which is responsible for railway infrastructure.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Services on the Southeastern rail network have been unacceptably poor for far too long.

"Passengers have endured disruption, overcrowding and delays, particularly during redevelopment work at London Bridge station, and they deserve better.

"That is why this consultation is so important. Appointing a new franchise operator from 2018 provides us with a great opportunity to sort out the problems which have plagued the Southeastern network, and deliver the high quality of service that customers expect.

"We are going to do things differently. I want passengers to enjoy more space and comfort, more and better communication with the operator, and a consistently reliable performance."

Mr Grayling announced in December that he would not devolve responsibility for the Southeastern franchise to London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan.

He claimed Transport for London's business plan did not offer extra capacity and was simply based on "a belief" that the organisation could run the system more effectively.

But Mr Grayling was accused of putting politics ahead of passengers over the issue after a leaked letter showed he opposed the policy in 2013 as he wanted to keep the network "out of the clutches" of any future Labour mayor.

The DfT consultation closes on May 23.