The MP for Beaconsfield, Dominic Grieve, has said that he is ‘concerned’ to hear his constituents are unhappy with the service provided by Chiltern Railways since the introduction of a new timetable in October.

Frustrated commuters have started a petition against the poor punctuality and reliability” of the service since a new timetable was introduced to coincide with the opening of the of the £130million line between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone on October 26.

Mr Grieve said that while the service on the line before Chiltern Railways was not up to scratch, since the company had taken over it had “produced a Rolls Royce service” and to hear it had “gone downhill” was concerning.

He said: “It is a concern for me to hear that the service has gone downhill and I have taken the matter up with Chiltern Railways and if people wish to make representations to me then I urge them to do so and I will certainly pass on their concerns.”

Last week, Wycombe MP Steve Baker joined the debate, asking his 13,600 followers on Twitter whether they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the Chiltern Railways service from High Wycombe.

Out of 88 votes in a poll, 67 per cent said they were unhappy with it.

Mr Grieve, who uses the service ‘occasionally’ when visiting his constituency but mostly drives, said: “Steve Baker tells me there is a big debate going on on Twitter. I have to say, the last time I used it I did not experience any delays or other problems, but that is not to say that my experience is the same as everyone else’s.

“If my constituents are saying there is a problem, then it needs to be addressed. It is a matter of concern to me.”

Mr Grieve said he did not believe he had received a response from Chiltern Railways regarding his concerns.

A petition to the secretary of state for transport, Patrick McLoughlin, currently has over 100 signatures.

View the petition here. 

Chiltern Railways, which previously apologised to commuters for “falling short” of its usual standards in November, also said that “everyone at Chiltern Railways in committed to delivering a high quality train service.”