Mayor of West Yorkshire holds frank talks with Transpennine Express after a flurry of train cancellations across the North

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, met with Transpennine Express this morning (24 October 2022) as repeated train cancellations continue to cause chaos for Northern rail passengers.

24 October 2022

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, met with Transpennine Express this morning (24 October 2022) as repeated train cancellations continue to cause chaos for Northern rail passengers.

Today, the Mayor expressed deep frustration at the last-minute cancellations and put pressure on the rail operator to make quick improvements. Speaking with the Chief Executive, Tracy Brabin said that people in the North were being let down by an unreliable rail service, which often left people stranded or waiting hours for replacement services.

After listening to the first-hand stories of rail passengers, the Mayor said that this reflected the feeling across the North, where decades of underinvestment in transport have left communities with a second-class rail service.

The Mayor has joined the calls of other Northern Mayors for the Government to immediately step in, find a solution to the staffing issues that operators are facing, and ensure they can deliver a reliable service that’s fit for Northern passengers.

At this time of severe economic instability, we cannot have a rail network that’s reliant on drivers not becoming sick and trains not breaking down. This simply isn’t good enough.

Tracy Brabin Mayor of West Yorkshire

Speaking after the meeting, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

"As someone who relies on the rail network every day, I understand the anger of our communities who have suffered this chaos. My own train this morning was cancelled, and I know that passengers across the North all have their own horror stories of how the rail network has let them down.

"Today, I raised this directly with TransPennine Express, making clear they must come up with an immediate solution. At this time of severe economic instability, we cannot have a rail network that’s reliant on drivers not becoming sick and trains not breaking down. This simply isn’t good enough.

"We need an immediate solution, and the Transport Secretary must engage with the operators and unions to make this happen, get to grips with rest day working, then renationalisation should be on the table."

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