Weekly News
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MIKE Amesbury MP says he was not left reassured by the Government’s response to the Northern Rail crisis following his meeting with the Transport Secretary.
The Weaver Vale MP and Labour colleague Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens And Whiston, met with Chris Grayling over the Northern Rail timetabling debacle that has been engulfing their constituencies.
Mr Grayling said an ‘ urgent independent review’ would be undertaken by the end of the year, but Mr Amesbury said that was ‘not good enough’.
His comments followed heightening pressure on the Government to tackle the situation on the railways in the North West, ● Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury, left, met with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling over the Northern Rail crisis widely branded a shambles.
Halton MP Derek Twigg has also blasted Northern Rail and the Department Of Transport after Widnes passengers reported severe problems and ‘misery’, which he said was ‘unacceptable’ as he vowed to ‘keep up the pressure’ on the Transport Secretary.
Newspapers across the North also united in their condemnation under the banner of the #OneNorth campaign after thousands of cancellations.
Mr Amesbury, whose constituency straddles east Runcorn, Daresbury, Frodhsham and Northwich, said: “I recently raised this in the Commons and said it was chaos in my constituency, and that’s exactly what it is.
“My constituents have been contacting me in desperation because of the seemingly endless cancellations. There are livelihoods on the line here.”
He added: “I wish I could say I felt reassured by the Government’s stance on this, but I can’t.
“The secretary told us a review would be done by the end of the year, but that is in six months’ time.
“We are seeing disruption on a daily basis and there seems to be no clear end in sight.
“I will continue to press rail bosses and the government on this issue because it simply is not good enough.”