Blake criticises further delay to rail improvements
Blake criticises further delay to rail improvements
Responding to the announcement that major rail service improvements will not go-ahead in December, Cllr Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council and Member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said:
�Following previous delays to service improvements, the scrapping of the East Coast Main Line franchise and the botched introduction of a new timetable it was hard to imagine rail passengers in the North of England could be further disappointed but this announcement represents another blow. Network Rail�s failure to deliver projects on time was a major factor behind the recent timetable chaos and now it is delaying service improvements, which should have been in place last year, to 2019 at the earliest.
�Yet again, a major decision on rail services has been made without warning, without consultation with northern leaders and without a voice for passengers, an issue my review into the timetable chaos will address as a priority.
�The Government should ensure the commitments made by rail operators properly reflect Network Rail�s capacity so when passengers are promised service improvements they are delivered on time. It is clear the current system is failing passengers, business and all who rely on a functioning rail network.�