MPs have piled further pressure on a struggling train operator.

Norman Baker and Sir Nicholas Soames, MPs for Lewes and Mid Sussex respectively, have both demanded improvement to rail services following an influx of more complaints about Southern Rail.

The Argus revealed last month how Brighton’s most popular commuter train, the 7.29am from to London Victoria, was late every day last year. This newspaper also revealed more than 1,700 trains on the route were late in January – but passengers could only claim compensation for just 59 of them because of Southern’s compensation scheme.

Yesterday Southern was revealed as one of the nation’s worst performing operators following a survey by Which?

Norman Baker met Southern deputy managing director David Scorey on Friday. The former transport minister said: “We, on the coastway east of the southern service, are getting a raw deal with poor timetabling, poor trains and poor service, with improvements only happening on the coastway west of the line.

“My constituents deserve a proper service, a service which they are paying for, which runs on time and with correct information. Southern have taken their eye off the ball.”

Sir Nicholas met with rail bosses early this month in a bid to find out why Southern services were performing so badly.

He tweeted yesterday: “Fixing further meeting with rail minister in view of lack of any apparent progress since summit with operators. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”

A Southern spokesman said: “We can assure our passengers that we fully intend to return to a level of service that they expect and deserve.”