Rail users’ concerns heard after travel chaos

CONCERNS about the shocking state of railway services provided in the Colne Valley have been raised at the highest level in government.

Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker, along with fellow MPs and rail user groups, met secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling MP and the shadow secretary of state Andy McDonald MP, to discuss local rail users’ concerns.

The meeting follows months of travel chaos for Colne Valley and the surrounding areas, and reports of further disruptions in the future as part of the Transpennine route upgrade.

Slaithwaite, Marsden, Mossley and Greenfield are all amongst the worst performing stations in the country.

Over the last four weeks in Slaithwaite, four per cent of services ran on time, and six per cent of services were cancelled in the same period.

On Wednesday afternoon of last week, three consecutive trains towards Huddersfield and Leeds were cancelled leaving passengers stranded for over three hours.

On Thursday morning two consecutive morning rush hour trains failed to run.

The rail user groups Slaithwaite and Marsden Action on Rail Transport (SMART) and Stalybridge and Huddersfield Rail Users Group (SHRUG), used the meeting to raise specific concerns with Mr Grayling on the performance on the line, accessibility at local stations, and the fragmentation between rail service providers and Network Rail.

Thelma said: “Passengers in the Colne Valley have been let down time and again by rail services, facing frequent cancellations, overcrowding and poor accessibility. “There needs to be more recognition of the human cost of this chaos, which has put some people’s jobs at risk, and made managing family responsibilities incredibly difficult.

“I have spent many hours on train platforms in Slaithwaite and Marsden, talking to passengers and local rail campaigners, and have experienced the effects of the rail disruption myself.

“I have raised the concerns of constituents on several occasions with ministers and in the House.

“I am hopeful that the concerns raised by myself, my fellow MPs and the rail user groups in today’s meeting with the Transport Secretary, will be taken forward and action will be seen in the coming weeks.

“I will be writing a letter with my colleagues to follow-up on the actions arising from the meeting.”