Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Transport
As reported in the T&A, the Secretary of State for Transport has announced a suspension of purchasing new train carriages.
BRUG are obviously disappointed by the announcement, however we will lobby for the Department of Transport to reverse it’s decision, as stated in the NAO report, the PTE’s/ITA’s (Metro) are also strongly upset by the decision. They believe that their planning and their views have been disregarded.
However it is clear from the report that the previous Government and Network Rail have over specified the number of carriages:
The Office of Rail Regulation had specified that occupancy had to be reduced to 70% in Leeds, however Network Rail’s plan would have reduced occupancy to 59%.
BRUG will continue to push for improved rail services and capacity in Bradford and the West Yorkshire region. There is very limited capacity in Bradford and genuine demand for seats. We are campaigning for more seats and more capacity, not just wanting “nice looking trains”.
Filed under: BRUG, WYITA | Tagged: Dft, ORR, Philip Hammond, train carriages | Comments Off on DFT funding cuts affect carriages
Bradford Rail Users Group 