Troubleshooter appointed to tackle railway chaos

A troubleshooter is to be appointed by the Government to deal with the rail chaos affecting the North of England.

Following a year of dismal performance by rail operators across the North following the bungled introduction of a new spring timetable and multiple delays on major rail infrastructure projects, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and other leaders across the North, called for a single individual to be appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport to take charge of the situation.

At a Transport for the North (TfN) Partnership Board meeting in Sheffield on Thursday (13 September) the Department for Transport (DfT) consented to this proposal and announced that Richard George will be appointed.

Mayor Burnham said: “The intolerable situation on our region’s railway network has to end – it has caused too much stress and suffering for passengers relying on public transport to get them to where they need to be on time and in comfort.

“The Secretary of State said in the Spring that fixing this mess was his number one priority, but we have seen little evidence of improvement, and performance levels of Northern and TransPennine Express services remain not good enough.

“That is why last month Leaders from across the North called for a troubleshooter to be appointed as a voice for the long-suffering passenger; to take command, bang heads together and get things fixed. I am pleased that the Government has finally taken this significant step, an acknowledgment that efforts up to this point have proved inadequate.

“It is now crucial that the Government ensure this troubleshooter starts work promptly – passengers deserve to see a dramatic improvement as quickly as possible. It is crucial that this individual is given all necessary powers to make a significant and lasting impression and is able to put this chaos to an end.”

At the meeting it was also announced that an enhanced compensation package will be put in place for regular travellers affected by this Spring’s timetable fiasco – previously compensation was only available to season ticket holders.

Mayor Burham added: “More passengers will be able to claim compensation thanks to this morning’s meeting. I have repeatedly said that a package which remunerates only annual season ticket holders is insufficient given fewer people in the North travel by train on such tickets, compared to other parts of the country. It was vital therefore that Government agreed to a better package of compensation and I am pleased to say that today it did.

“Earlier today the Department for Transport (DfT) also announced an extension of their Delay Repay 15 policy to Northern services, allowing passengers to claim for journey delays of just 15 rather than 30 minutes. It is now important that DfT work with Transport for the north (TfN) to communicate their new and improved offer to passengers as soon as possible.”

Additionally, the Mayor made it clear in the meeting that a failure to improve reliability on the railways should result in the most serious of sanctions for rail operators.

He said: “The chaos travellers have experienced this year on the railways has been completely unacceptable and must never be allowed to happen again.

“I have received assurances from operators Northern and TransPennine Express that the current situation will improve by Christmas and significantly by next May.

“The Government and their new troubleshooter must be seen to monitor this situation closely and, if services do not improve as promised, then all options should be considered including removal of franchises.

“I make no apologies for speaking up on this issue week in, week out, for many months in an effort to improve this situation on behalf of train travellers across Greater Manchester. There is much more still to do and Government do need to abide by today’s promises, but perhaps finally we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.”