Transport Committee seeks assurance from rail bosses over resumption of full rail timetable
Transport Committee seeks assurance from rail bosses over resumption of full rail timetable
6 July 2018
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Transport Committee challenged rail bosses today over their handling of the recent timetabling crisis that has affected passengers across the North, and sought reassurance that lessons would be learned ahead of the full timetable resuming at the end of July.
Transport Committee members posed the questions in response to a presentation from Rail North on its partnership with Transport for the North (TfN) - the body set up to co-ordinate transport in the North and advise government on transport strategy.
Following the Transport Committee meeting, Cllr Kim Groves, Chair of the Committee, said:
"The Transport Committee provided a very clear message to TfN and rail operators today that there is still a lot of work to do to address the very real issues passengers are still experiencing, and provide reassurance that there won't be more chaos and disruption to passengers when the normal timetable is restored at the end of July. So far no such reassurances have been given, which is deeply concerning.
"While there were a number of contributory factors to the timetable chaos we have experienced, it is clear that decisions were taken without the interests of passengers being put first.
"As we approach the expected restoration of the timetable at the end of this month it is vital that TfN, Network Rail and the operators demonstrate this lesson has been learned and the needs of passengers are paramount. We await assurance from all parties that this is indeed the case.
"Cllr Judith Blake has already been clear that ensuring there is a strong democratic and passenger voice will be among the issues her review of the rail disruption will address. The Transport Committee has made sure its democratic voice was heard loud and clear today. We will be asking operators to attend the next Transport Committee so that they too can answer questions on how they will ensure that avoidable mistakes are not repeated."