Passengers ‘left in lurch’ by train operator

A train operator has been accused of leaving passengers “in the lurch” over its decision to withdraw services at Wakefield’s main railway station.

CrossCountry has announced that some long-distance services will no longer call at Wakefield Westgate over the summer.

The operator said the move is designed to reduce overcrowding on services between Scotland and the South West of England.

Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood said the “reckless” decision had been made without consultation.

Mr Lightwood, a shadow transport minister, said: “Countless Wakefield residents will now be left in the lurch thanks to CrossCountry’s choice to withdraw these long-distance services from stopping at Westgate.

“CrossCountry claims this step is necessary to reduce overcrowding, but cutting off my constituents from vital arterial routes and forcing passengers on to other services already stretched to the limit is not the answer.”

CrossCountry said the changes were designed to encourage passengers making shorter journeys to switch to other operators, providing more capacity for those making longer journeys.

Mr Lightwood added: “If CrossCountry were serious about relieving overcrowding they’d have already taken steps to boost rolling stock capacity. Instead, after decades of deregulation of the railways, passengers in Wakefield have been let down yet again by an unaccountable private operator. This cannot go on.”

A spokesperson for CrossCountry said: “The data used to decide these locations and services is based on data and journey experiences from summer 2023. The services that have been selected to be removed are largely services we expect to be 80 per cent (or more) full and that have alternative journey options.”