Investment in transport is hard to get in North
OF course the London Mayor is bound to be delighted that the Elizabeth Line is now open to its full extent (November 7). And it may well be “fantastic news ... not just for the Elizabeth but also for the South of the country.”
Trouble is, what about those of us in the North?
We struggle to get any kind of public transport investment, let alone a brand new £19 billion railway.
I mean at the moment there are no trains on the Saturday only Brigg line, with not even a replacement bus service.
As for the Trans Pennine, you plan a journey there at your peril.
I mean last week when I stood on Grimsby Town Station there was a service to Manchester that left around 20 to 11, but nothing for a further 3 hours as the next two trains had been cancelled.
Thankfully my trip was on the Barton line.
I had intended to go to the newlyreconstructed station at Barrow Haven, but its reopening had slipped from its original October 14th date.
The work incidentally is estimated to have cost £1.3 million - 0.007 per cent of what was spent on the Elizabeth line.
As to the buses, passengers are still faced with a furry of unexpected cancellations with Stagecoach continuing to recruit and train new drivers to try and deal with the problems.
Let’s hope matters get resolved soon, as it is no fun waiting at a bus stop in winter.
Former Tory Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once wrote of Britain being in reality two nations.
Sadly, so far as transport is concerned, that is still the case, with Northerners being the poor relations to our Southern counterparts.