Delays and cancellations have continued to affect passengers using Northern trains after the introduction of a new timetable this week.
The train company said a shortage of drivers was disrupting services on Tuesday. Dozens of trains were cancelled, some at short notice. A greater number were curtailed or running significantly late, with routes between Blackpool, Southport, Wigan and Manchester airport again heavily affected.
Northern commuters face more problems as the RMT is planning industrial action on Thursday and Saturday. Arriva Rail North, which operates the Northern franchise, has yet to finalise its strike timetable but has warned passengers to expect more disruption.
The union confirmed that the action – in a dispute over the future role and responsibilities of guards on the train – would proceed. Its general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “We have seen again this week that Arriva are not capable of running a railway and have chosen to declare war on passengers and staff alike in the drive for increased profits while safety, access and reliability are left to rot.”
On the first full weekday of a new timetable for rail companies around Britain, Northern passengers were apparently hardest hit, despite a more radical redrawing of the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) schedule in the south-east.
The mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, who had demanded an inquiry into Northern’s failing services before this week’s problems, said on Monday night that he had asked for a meeting with the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, to discuss the chaos. He said: “Things can’t go on like this.”
On Tuesday, GTR’s services were apparently running with less disruption than on what unions called “meltdown Monday”, although the company was unable to provide figures. Many commuters again reported delayed and cancelled trains.
A spokesperson for GTR said: “Disruption to our services has been reduced compared with the first full working day and there have been fewer peak-time cancellations as a consequence of the new timetable. Passenger groups have acknowledged that overall the network is functioning adequately under difficult circumstances.”
The timetables have been changed to provide a more efficient service, but train companies had warned that disruption should be expected during a transition period. While GTR passengers should ultimately benefit from more thousands seats on trains to London at peak times, commuters in towns in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Sussex have complained that the changes will leave them with slower or less frequent services.
