A WARRINGTON MP has called for action to resolve ‘appalling’ train services on the west coast main line.
Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols made the comments in the House of Commons on Thursday, during a debate on passenger rail performance.
She said that constituents – and even herself – have to deal with regular last-minute delays and cancellations.
The MP asked Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve passenger rail performance.
In response, Ms Alexander said: “The previous Government’s neglect of the railways saw a decade of decline in passenger performance, but we are starting to see performance stabilise.
“Passengers are responding to these improvements, and passenger numbers were up seven per cent last year.
“We are now working with the rail industry on a performance restoration framework with five clear focus areas, including timetable resilience, staffing, and keeping trains safely moving during disruptive events, to help to restore the performance that passengers deserve.”
Following up, Ms Nichols told the house: “I am sure I speak for all fellow MPs on the west coast main line, who are regular commuters on Avanti, when I say that having to plan our weeks around its appalling service and regular last-minute delays and cancellations is among the worst parts of the job.
“My constituents, both those travelling north to Wigan and Cumbria and those travelling south to London, are fed up with the service, which affects their ability to work, visit family, and travel for leisure.
What consideration has the Secretary of State given to reviewing whether Avanti has breached the terms of its franchise contract, and accelerating the process by which it can be brought into public ownership?”
Ms Alexander responded: “I am obviously sorry to hear about the issues that my honourable friend and her constituents experience when attempting to travel on Avanti West Coast.
“I know how frustrating these issues can be, but let me reassure her that while performance has improved, officials continue to hold regular meetings with Avanti and Network Rail to try to resolve matters.
“We have always been clear that we will transfer operations to public ownership when contracts end, rather than spending money on breaking contracts early.
“We expect the transfers to have completed by the end of 2027.”
An Avanti West Coast spokesman said: “We recognise that more needs to be done in terms of our performance.
“We are working closely with industry partners, including Network Rail, to make sure our operation continues to run better, day in, day out, and our customers get the more reliable service they deserve.
“Over the last four weeks, less than two per cent of our scheduled services were cancelled.
“We were responsible for 22 per cent of delay minutes, while the majority – 78 per cent – were due to infrastructure issues or other external factors.
“We have developed a joint performance plan with Network Rail, which is already having a positive impact.”
