Government called to answer for train losses

Train tracks

Greater Manchester’s transport bosses will be taking the fight for the region’s fair share of new train carriages direct to the Government this week.

Leading members of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) are meeting Transport Minister Chris Mole on Thursday (9 July) to discuss the Government’s plans to slash the amount of new carriages promised for Northern Rail services by 40%.

Councillor Keith Whitmore, Chairman of GMITA, and Councillor Ian Macdonald, Vice Chairman, will be attending the meeting, which follows revelations that Northern Rail is likely to get just 106 of the 182 carriages previously pledged by the Department for Transport (DfT) – to operate across the entire North of England.

Councillor Whitmore said: “Anyone who cares about the future of the economy in the north, and our ability to recover from recession, should care about this issue.

“On one hand we are talking about the very basic premise of people being able to get to work, education and healthcare – essential for any region to grow – but we are also talking about a very distinct and growing divide in investment between the north and the south.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “We are working with Northern Rail to find a solution to increase capacity which will be affordable, and give value for money, and we shall be making an announcement in due course.”

Northern Rail has not had any new carriages in the past five years, whereas operators serving London and the South East got nearly 600. The amount spent on public transport per head in the South East last year was £783, compared to £278 in the North West.

Councillor Whitmore added: “We are being told that we’re only going to get around half of the new carriages we have repeatedly been promised. Commuters have every right to be very angry about this – it’s a broken promise.

“We want to make the Minister aware of the frustration, anger and concern that commuters have on a daily basis. I challenge him to travel with me on a morning rush hour train from Bolton to Manchester to witness it himself.”

In addition, at a Westminster Hall debate last week the Minister made it clear that the DfT would not pay for Greater Manchester to keep five Pacer trains (10 carriages in total) currently running on the Oldham Loop Line.

MPs voiced their concerns about the issues at Wednesday’s debate, entitled ‘Spending on railways in the North of England’, at which the Minister reiterated the DfT’s plan to tackle overcrowding mainly by lengthening trains and platforms.

He did not make any statement on the number of new carriages allocated to Northern Rail, but clarified the DfT’s position on the future of the Loop Line Pacer trains.

He said: “The department is not planning to provide additional funding for the redeployment of the rolling stock displaced through the conversion of the Oldham Loop from heavy rail to light rail.

“The decision does not preclude GMPTE from funding the redeployment of the rolling stock nor Northern from utilising the stock on a commercial basis.”

When asked what would otherwise happen to the trains, the Minister said they would be used to tackle overcrowding “across the network”, adding: “We will have to see in due course where they end up.”

Councillor Whitmore added: “The Government is going to get around £7 million back in subsidies once rail services end on the Oldham Loop Line.

“Why it can’t use part of that to pay for the Pacer trains to stay in Greater Manchester and provide some urgent relief on the overcrowded trains we witness every single day is simply baffling.”

Councillor Macdonald said: “It was pleasing to see so many MPs taking part in last week’s debate on this important issue and raising a number of valuable points and questions with the Minister.

“The Government’s justification for cutting our share of new carriages is that patronage is falling because of the recession. That appears to be a deeply flawed argument and one that we will challenge to the fullest.

“Indeed, it was interesting to hear the Minister say that he would ‘rather be facing the challenges of rising train ridership than the consequences of the numbers having fallen’.”