Transport for the North stand firmly with passengers across the North

Tuesday 5th June 2018

This statement is made following discussion with and on behalf of the members of the Transport for the North board.

John Cridland, Chairman of Transport for the North, said:

“We stand firmly with passengers across the North – they expect and deserve better.

“The patience of residents, businesses and visitors in the North has been tested. They have been inconvenienced and disrupted and need a rail service that they can rely on.

“As the voice of the Northern civic and business leaders, we call for Northern to:

• Ensure any services in total are at least as good as they were before the introduction of the new timetable on 20 May 2018
• Provide clear communication to customers so that they can plan with confidence
• Compensate passengers who have bought advance or season tickets for the next two months, given the reduced level of service
• Reduce the cost of journeys for customers experiencing disruption
• Arrange for their tickets to be accepted on other rail operators and modes of transport, to provide passengers with an alternative route
• Engage businesses and northern leaders on any future changes that may impact passengers

“We are deeply disappointed that – two weeks in from the timetable change – we are not yet seeing more improvement. We will scrutinise, challenge and track services over the coming days.

“We, as a group, commit to communities in the North to speak on their behalf and demand a service that is fit for purpose.”