Northern rail boss sorry for ‘poor services’
THE boss of rail operator Northern has apologised to passengers for ‘poor services and overcrowded conditions.’
Blaming ‘autumnal leaves’ for their lousy performance last year, regional chief Liam Sumpter has responded to a rail report branded a ‘disaster area’ by transport leaders. The figures show that just 41.8 per cent of Northern services in this region in November-December 2017 were on time.
In north Manchester, 74.6pc of services arrived within five minutes of when they were due, with 77.6pc of south Manchester trains arriving no more than five minutes late.
Carriages were also in short supply, with 422 trains – or 7.1pc – in north Manchester lacking the right number for passengers. That Northern rolled out fewer carriages in north Manchester than in any other area is unlikely to surprise commuters on the Bolton line, who have been complaining for months about two-carriage trains. In south Manchester, 205 trains were too short, or 2pc of the total fleet.
Apologising, Mr Sumpter said they’d had a ‘challenging autumn’ with a ‘build-up of leaves’ – and promised a brighter future when new trains arrive this year. At a meeting to discuss the report, representatives on the TfGM committee slammed the figures.
Bolton councillor David Chadwick said: “Why is it that north Manchester is struggling to this extent? I’m thinking of going incognito with a moustache next time I take the train so I don’t get it in the neck about there being a shortage of carriages.” Salford councillor Roger Jones added: “We can’t defend the indefensible. Everything about this report is a disaster area.”
More recent figures do show improvement, with nearly 60pc of Northern trains in Greater Manchester on time over the last month.
During this period, north Manchester passengers endured 278 trains lacking enough carriages – a big improvement compared to November but still well above levels in other areas.
Mr Sumpter said: “Last autumn was particularly challenging. The operational difficulties the weather and falling leaves create for all train operators cannot be underestimated.
“Our train drivers have to exercise extra caution to ensure they approach junctions and stations safely due to slippery conditions created by the build-up of leaves on the tracks.”
He said autumn conditions also put pressure on the fleet’s maintenance schedule, with a ‘significant number’ taken out of service for wheel repairs due to damage ‘caused by leaves.’
This affected the number of trains and seats available, he said.
He added: “Things have improved considerably since the autumn and short forming (lack of carriages) is now at very low levels.”
He said the fleet was ‘stretched’ and that a lack of carriages caused passenger discomfort – but said they were working to boost capacity with 98 new trains. The first of these trains, due to be rolled out this year, was showcased last week. In addition, 243 trains will be refurbished, with a promise to remove all the Pacers – an outdated train which still runs on Northern lines – by 2020.