‘Rail bosses treating north like a third world nation’
GREATER Manchester’s council leaders have issued a furious joint tirade against Northern Rail, claiming train bosses are treating the north ‘like a third world nation.’
At a meeting of the conurbation’s combined authority, local authorities vented their anger at ongoing cancellations and delays across the rail network, which have become even more acute since timetable changes last Sunday.
Mayor Andy Burnham said he disagreed with the government’s view – expressed by transport secretary Chris Grayling during a phone call on Friday – that electrification delays by Network Rail were the root cause of the problem.
Instead he argued Northern, which holds the franchise, were failing to staff services properly and had let down passengers.
In response, council leaders variously attacked the firm, saying it should be ‘ashamed,’ was treating passengers ‘with contempt’ and should end the chaos or ‘back out and let someone else take over.’
New Wigan council leader David Molyneux attacked the ‘faceless shareholders’ of Northern Rail, referring to a day in late April when temperatures soared and people were left stranded on sweltering trains ‘like a third world country.’
Warning that passengers were scared ‘for their safety’ – as well as staff, who he said could have borne the brunt of their rage – he added: “We’re being treated as a third world nation.”
Bolton council leader Linda Thomas said the state of the rail services in her borough were a ‘perennial moan’ for her, pointing out Bolton residents were not on the Metrolink and relied heavily on trains to get around.
After years of pressure on government from local MPs, she said patience had now run out.
“We’re invisible,” she added of those in the borough calling on Northern to sort out its services.
Rochdale council cabinet member Sara Rowbotham hit out not only at Northern’s executives but also at its shareholders, arguing they ‘should be ashamed of themselves.’
Angeliki Stogia, executive member at Manchester council, said the messages read out daily on the city’s rail platforms - ‘sorry for the inconvenience’ - were ‘upsetting’ and an ‘insult to commuters.’
“How are they getting away with this? I don’t understand. They’re completely unaccountable,” she added.
Stockport council leader Alex Ganotis said the borough was struggling with ‘bunched’ rail timetables that would see a rush of trains and then none for a long period of time.
He said passengers and the local authority were ‘very, very angry,’ adding: “Passengers across Greater Manchester are being treated with contempt by both Network Rail and Northern Rail.”
Trafford council’s new leader Andrew Western highlighted particular problems for passengers trying to get on at Urmston, arguing the government had failed to intervene on this over a long period of time.
It now needs sorting out ‘once and for all,’ he added.
Tameside leader Brenda Warrington described her own struggles on the trains, including witnessing the distress of a young mother caught and with her baby left distressed as a result of the network’s meltdowns.
“The train had been cut in half to two carriages, but they’d still crammed the same number of people on,” she said, adding that Northern should either fix the problem or ‘back our and let someone else take over.’
Concluding, the mayor reiterated that he finds fault specifically with the operator as opposed to just Network Rail.
Northern do not pay drivers enhanced payments on rest days, he pointed out, meaning that there were fewer drivers out there on the network.
“This is about profit,” he said, adding that the conurbation’s leaders would no longer allow rail bosses to get away with the current situation.