Don’t let Northern Rail passengers suffer here
NEWCASTLE City Council’s leader has demanded the Government doesn’t let the North East suffer because of timetable changes to Northern Rail services.
The company has come under fire this week for disruption caused by a big overhaul to times and destinations.
Manchester has been hardest hit by delays and cancellations but Coun Nick Forbes has raised concerns it could be having a knock on effect in the North East.
Northern Rail trains to and from Newcastle Central Station run along busy commuter routes between Northumberland, Cumbria, Teesside, Sunderland and County Durham.
In a conference call with other Northern city leaders and transport secretary Chris Grayling, Coun Forbes raised fears North East passengers could fall through the cracks as the firm looks to firefight problems around Manchester.
Coun Forbes said the company can’t be allowed to divert rolling stock away from the North East, leaving passengers on older, more cramped trains.
He said: “It’s frankly unacceptable that train operators, Network Rail and the Department for Transport failed to prepare for the real impact of service changes.
“I have made clear to the transport secretary that any solution has to be northern-wide. Already trains into Newcastle are more overcrowded, and there are worrying reports that while carriages are diverted to the North West, older Pacer trains are being deployed in the North East.
“We cannot have a situation in which train operators pick winners and losers, and I made clear to the transport secretary he has a responsibility here.”
The Department for Transport have come down hard on Northern Rail this week, with Mr Grayling standing up in the House of Commons to lambaste bosses at the company.
A Government spokesperson said: “The transport secretary has been clear that the disruption suffered by passengers due to the new timetable has been unacceptable. Improving Northern Rail services is his top priority and he spoke to northern leaders on Thursday, including Transport for the North and Rail North, about actions to urgently tackle disruption, including extra drivers and more peak-time services Chris Grayling to cut disruption as soon as possible.
Northern Rail has apologised this week for the disruption caused by the changes but blamed the Government for reducing the window it had to plan the new timetable by cancelling planned electrification to routes in the North West.