Those with a close ear to the news surrounding Britain’s rail services will have noticed a flurry of significant developments recently.
The last few weeks have borne witness to the announcement of further disruptive strikes by rail union ASLEF, a new minimum three-year extension for Avanti West Coast’s contract to run West Coast Mainline services, as well as TransPennine Express’s unexpected withdrawal of its state-of-the-art Nova 3 trains.
Although representing purely national issues at face value, these matters also bring about notable implications for the rail services in and around the Greater Manchester area.
In relation to ASLEF’s strike declaration, the proposed dates – 30 September and 4 October – are carefully aligned with the Conservative Party conference set to be held in Manchester City Centre – during which an influx of officials and reporters alike is expected.
As for Avanti’s contract renewal, this means the train company will continue to dictate all direct inter-city links between Manchester and London.
Moreover, the announcement by TransPennine Express of its decision to not field the company’s fleet of Nova 3 trains also produces cause for concern throughout the North West’s rail links.
As a result of inadequate driver training, the coast-to-coast operators decided to quash the rollout of their fleet of “ultramodern” vehicles – risking the already lacking pace of services from Manchester to the likes of Liverpool, Leeds, and Sheffield.
Additionally, last week it was revealed – via a data analysis by On Time Trains – that three of Manchester’s train stations occupy the top five of those with most cancellations so far in 2023.
Manchester Victoria Station was named second in this table, with 10% of all services cancelled. Meanwhile, Manchester Oxford Road Station found itself positioned joint third with a close 9%, and Manchester Piccadilly Station completed the trio in fourth with 7% of its services not running.
Therefore, it would be easy to assume that the amalgamation of this information paints a complex and crumbling picture for the state of Manchester’s rail services.
However, Mancunian Matters thought it important to obtain the views of the city’s local community on the matter, with the aim of discovering the reality of the situation.
Here are the thoughts of some of Mancunian Matters’ interviewees.
Kevin, aged 30
Any journey between Greenfield, in Saddleworth, to Edinburgh is taxing on the body and mind. It is even more so when the furthest stretch of a 230 mile-long trek is challenged by a rail cancellation.
Kevin, who regularly commutes between these distant locations, claimed that his train from Manchester Piccadilly to Edinburgh has been consistently called off in recent times.
“The Edinburgh train has been cancelled every time. I have to go by Lancaster because the direct one gets cancelled each time I travel.”
When asked about what solutions should be made to improve the rail services provided in Manchester, the 30-year-old had one idea in mind: nationalisation.
“The railways need to be renationalised, 100%. Everything really needs to be renationalised, but the railways (certainly) need to be renationalised.
“None of these companies do a good job, they get paid millions, it’s a worse service, it costs more to go, it’s so expensive and you don’t get anything for your money.”
This frustration with the inadequacy of rail services in the local area expectedly continued to the recent deal struck by Avanti and Whitehall.
“The government doesn’t care about anywhere that isn’t London, and to be fair they probably don’t care about London. It’s all about money.
“It’s not surprising (that the service is poor).”
Ultimately, Kevin is tired with rail provisions that have failed him time and time again.
“I’m 30 and they’re the same trains that I got on when I was 10. The trains are poor. The cost is going up, but the quality is going down. There’s not enough staff.
“Basically, any of the decisions that are being made are being made for profit and they’re all bad decisions.”
Priya, aged 47
When travelling each day for work on Manchester’s train lines, a punctual journey is key.
Speaking to Mancunian Matters, Priya told us that she was dependent on the services between Chorley and Manchester Piccadilly for her safe arrival at work.
Nevertheless, the 47-year-old is unhappy with the services currently provided, finding them inconsistent and bereft with unexpected challenges.
“I don’t think this is a very good service at the moment, because trains are being cancelled all the time, especially at nighttime. Sometimes I travel from Oxford Road at about 8 o’clock and the train has been cancelled and I have to wait hours and hours for the next train.”
In turn, she expressed her belief that more staff on the lines might be the answer to the rail service’s many local problems.
“I think they need more staff because they always have staffing issues. They need to organise everything through more efficient timing, especially at nighttime with cold weather.
“People are waiting, and they are tired, which affects your quality of life.”
Erin, aged 37
Some have even gone to the extent of abandoning Manchester’s rail services altogether.
“I used to use (the) Oxford Road and Deansgate (stations) regularly for commuting. I’ve had to switch to buses because there were so many cancellations on the Northern Rail line.
“It’s just painful (to use the lines). It should take me 11 minutes to travel and when I was regularly using it, we would be sitting there waiting and suddenly your journey takes 20 minutes.”
Another problem that forced Erin’s change was the rising costs of catching the train, with buses for her route charging only £2, compared to the £8 expected on the rail lines.
Such frustration was further expressed in relation to the new contract handed to Avanti West Coast.
The 37-year-old was due to travel down to London Euston on the company’s service and did not spare any disappointment when faced by news of the fresh agreement.
“They should probably not have received a new contract. I travelled recently from London and was stuck in the station for hours.
“The communication (from Avanti) was shocking. We could only find information by hounding the staff for it. It was really shocking communication-wise.
“It’s just crazy that it’s easier to fly to London than travel by train from Manchester.”
Overall, it was evident from Mancunian Matters’ discussions with members of the public that Manchester’s tumultuous rail scene is taking its toll on the local community. Whether these frustrations lead to tangible change remains to be seen.
Featured Image: Oliver Jervis
