Northern respond as MPs bid to reverse train service suspension

Cross-party MPs have joined forces in a bid to urge rail bosses to change their minds over the decision to suspend a busy train service which calls at three Tameside stations for almost three months.

There is set to be no trains running on the Manchester Piccadilly - Rose Hill Marple line from early September until mid-December. 

Last month, the now government-owned company Northern Trains Ltd wrote to Denton MP Andrew Gwynne to say the "temporary" change is largely due to allow for driver training, which had to be "paused" earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

It will mean no trains calling at Fairfield station in Audenshaw or Hyde North and Hyde Central stations during the autumn. 

Passengers, who have been advised to use buses, trams and other trains from nearby stations instead, have voiced their concerns about what this will mean for them - at a time when more people are returning to work, wearing face coverings for the duration of their journeys, and services still aren't at full capacity due to social distancing. 

Now, Denton MP Gwynne has teamed up with his Labour colleague Jonathan Reynolds, who serves the Stalybridge and Hyde MP, as well as Hazel Grove's Conservative MP William Wragg.

They have sent a joint letter to Northern Trains Ltd Regional Director, Chris Jackson, and Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, to express their collective opposition to the proposal and reflect the strong views of their respective constituents. 

(from left to right) MPs William Wragg, Jonathan Reynolds and Andrew Gwynne

'Apparent lack of train drivers is concerning' 

In the letter, they outline that Fairfield, Hyde North, Hyde Central, Woodley and Rose Hill Marple stations will lose all of their services, while Romiley station will see a reduced number of services. 

They also argue that there should be provision for public transport at a time when workers and shoppers are being encouraged to return in a safe way and passengers who have already bought season tickets could be left out of pocket, amid fears too that the temporary suspension could lead to a permanent removal of the service that so many people rely on. 

The letter says: "As workers, shoppers and those enjoying hospitality and leisure attractions are encouraged to return in a Covid-secure way, we must ensure there is ample capacity on our rail network to transport them. This proposal is a direct contradiction to that effort. 

"There is a longer-term concern that Northern regards this route as expendable, rather than as an asset to rail transport in South East Greater Manchester, which should be enhanced rather than diminished. This is particularly the case as we seek to encourage greater use of public transport rather than cars. 

"The suggestion of rail users using other means of public transport such as buses or trams will mean that season ticket holders will lose out as their tickets are not transferrable." 

The MPs add that they appreciate that Covid-19 will have caused disruption for Northern and express their gratitude for rail staff for keeping services going over the last few months, but say they are concerned that the apparent lack of train drivers is the reason for the service's suspension and call for a swift solution. 

They write: "We acknowledge that the situation with Covid-19 will have caused disruption to Northern. We are grateful to all at Northern who were able to continue working through the height of the pandemic, providing vital rail services for key workers. 

"However, we are concerned by the apparent lack of train drivers as the reason for this proposal and would urge that this be remedied as quickly as possible. We are keen to work constructively with Northern so that this proposal is avoided." 

Fairfield is one of three train stations which is set to have no services during the autumn 

'We have had to make some very tough decisions' 

In response, Northern bosses say "very tough decisions" have had to be made as a result of the impact of Covid-19 and some staff members are still shielding, while the Manchester Piccadilly - Rose Hill Marple service was "chosen carefully" due to accessibility of alternative modes of public transport and other rail stations on different routes. 

However, despite the attempts of the three MPs to reverse Northern's decision, the company is seemingly adamant that the suspension will still be going ahead as planned. 

After the Reporter contacted Northern for comment, Chris Jackson, Regional Director at Northern, said in a statement: “The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on many parts of society and this includes the railway.

"We have done all we can to continue to provide the best possible service for customers across the network, but we still have members of staff shielding and the knock-on effects of the virus will be felt for many months.

"As we work towards reintroducing services and re-instate our driving training programme, we have had to make some very tough decisions and one of those is to suspend our timetable to and from Rose Hill. This will provide the flexibility amongst train crew and trains themselves to protect the reliability of services across the rest of Manchester and beyond.

"I completely understand this may frustrate customers on that route, but it was chosen carefully as the route has other excellent public transport links and several nearby stations which will still have a good service to and from Manchester."