St Albans MP Anne Main has criticised Govia Thameslink Railways, which runs services through her constituency, following numerous reports of delays.

Yesterday, Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps called for Great Northern, which GTR also runs, to be stripped of the franchise after multiple trains in his constituency were cancelled following the introduction of a new timetable on Sunday.

Mrs Main stopped short of calling for something similar for Thameslink, but said: “It is disappointing we have seen passengers impacted by the timetable changes.

“St Albans commuters pay extremely high prices for their rail service and Thameslink had a lot of time to prepare and plan for this change.

“These glitches need to be ironed out and I hope to see the promised improvements in passenger services delivered quickly.”

GTR has apologised to customers who were delayed and has said they can claim compensation through their websites.