THE government has announced a probe into South Western Railway’s performance, as nearly 7,000 people sign a petition calling for contracts to be terminated.

UK’s transport secretary Chris Grayling said this week that he was “very disappointed” with the franchise’s performance over recent months.

He ordered an independent review of South Western Railway, to make sure “all possible steps are being taken to improve performance and passenger experience”.

The petition, which is swiftly approaching the 10,000 mark required for a government response, highlights that “since the takeover, the number of delays have increased, delays have got longer, and cancellations have increased”.

South Western Railway was awarded the South Western franchise last year and took the reins in August. Since then it’s come under fire for its seemingly frequent delays.

The review will also look into Network Rail, which Mr Grayling said is partly to blame.

In a letter to MPs, he explained, “I have been very disappointed with the performance of South Western Railway over recent months, and I know many of you have also been frustrated by the issues passengers have experienced.

“I am determined that we see a long-term, sustained performance improvement across this route.”

South Western Railway are said to be spending a “substantial amount” of cash to improve reliability.

However, a spokesman added that currently performance has “not been at the level we want, or expect, and we are determined to put that right”.