WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones has criticised the government’s rail policies which she says continue to fail commuters in Warrington and Northern England as a whole.
In a response to one of her parliamentary questions Transport Minister Jo Johnson admitted that his department does not know how many trains to and from Warrington had been cancelled as a result of the recent disruption on the Trans-Pennine line.
MP Jones said: “It is outrageous that the Transport Department do not know how many trains have been cancelled or delayed as a result of recent events. The minister says he wants to resolve the problems, compensate passengers and learn the lessons from the debacle. But it is difficult to understand how he can do this when he doesn’t know the extent of the problem. He shows all the characteristics of someone who really doesn’t care about transport links in Northern England.”
MP Jones says a planned update to the Trans Pennine route which, it appears from a “leaked letter”, falls short of past government promises.
She added: “ Passengers are facing five years of disruption – line closures for 39 weeks a year from 2020 until 2024. To add insult to injury, in 2011 and 2015 the government promised that the Trans Pennine route would be fully electrified but they are now reneging on that commitment.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling now says electrification will be used ‘where it makes a difference.’
“ Once again the North of England is having to make do with second-class transport whilst Crossrail in London and the South East soaks up all the funds.“
