Northern Rail faces criticism over lack of Sunday trains in Clitheroe
Clitheroe’s MP has joined the battle for better Sunday rail services to and from the town
An MP has described the lack of trains from Clitheroe on Sunday’s as ‘not good enough’.
Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe said that he brought the boss of Northern Rail to the town to find a solution to the problem.
Mr Hinder said: “ Still no Sunday trains from Clitheroe – not good enough!
“That's why I brought Northern Rail's Managing Director right here to Clitheroe, along with Network Rail representatives, this week.
“I continue to press Northern Rail and the Department for Transport at every opportunity to resolve this issue, which is down to a lack of train crew on Sundays.
“This would not be tolerated in London and the South East, and we shouldn’t have to put up with it. I’ll keep pushing this until it’s sorted.”
Weekend disruptions are blamed on staff shortages and sicknesses leaving passengers without a reliable service.
A Northern spokesperson said it was working hard to restore four-carriage trains on several routes following a period of disruption caused by unexpected faults this year.
As a result, two carriage units were used on key routes causing massive overcrowding.
They said: “Our current Sunday timetable in the North West reflects the level of service we can reliably deliver while some conductors are contractually entitled not to work on Sundays.
“We know this is frustrating for customers, and we are working towards a resolution with our conductors and the RMT union. Once a solution has been reached, we will keep the timetable under close review and look to reinstate as many services as possible, as quickly as we can.”