STORM respond to Northern rail chaos

Northern trains

Local rail campaign group STORM have responded to the Northern rail disaster, which has seen news organisations across the North, including Rochdale Online, take a united stance in calling for the Government to fix the rail service.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/119352/news-organisations-unite-in-calls-to-fix-broken-northern-rail-network

Campaigner Frank Salt commented: "The petition is aimed at the right person, Chris Grayling. I feel the blame for this sorry state is well and truly at the door of the Department for Transport (DfT). 

"Network Rail (run by the DfT) promised electrification of the line to Blackpool via Bolton would be ready over a year ago and the time scale was questioned by local rail user groups at the time. If electric trains were able to use this route, the diesel units which already use it would have been released to add more units to the Calder Valley line and other lines. 

"Northern Rail are also to blame with not having enough drivers trained up to drive new electric trains. Add to this the ongoing dispute over Driver Only Operation (forced upon them by the DfT) of our services. 

"Surely at this time of crisis, Northern Rail could suspend these negotiations for two years to gain not only their employees good will, but give the much-distressed passengers, suffering the brunt of the current disruption, a period without strike action."

Sign the petition here: 

https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-end-the-northern-rail-nightmare-give-us-the-powerhouse-you-promised