Rail bosses face grilling over weeks of misery

RAIL BOSSES are to be questioned by West Yorkshire leaders over May’s timetable chaos.

Representatives from both infrastructure operator Network Rail and franchise-holder Northern will be pressed by members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) at a meeting next Thursday.

The botched introduction of new timetables on May 20 caused chaos and misery for thousands in the North, with unprecedented levels of cancellations and delays amid a shortage of drivers.

A report going before next week’s meeting states: “Incomplete planning by Network Rail especially with regard to the operation of Leeds station caused delays throughout the city region.”

It also claimed “overcrowding due to short formation resulting from rolling stock shortage” was also partly to blame.

The report added: “Whilst the greatest disruption arising from the timetable change was felt in the North and the South-East, there are national structural issues to be addressed to prevent future problems of this nature.”

This will be the first opportunity WYCA has had to grill Northern, the company responsible for running many of the affected services.

Leader of Wakefield City Council Peter Box said: “This was a disaster that was wholly avoidable. It didn’t take a lot of working out that there weren’t enough drivers available.”