Minister is challenged on rail cuts

TRANSPORT chiefs are taking their fight for more train carriages in Greater Manchester to the Government.

Leading members of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority meet Transport Minister Chris Mole today to discuss plans to slash the number of new carriages promised for Northern Rail services by 40 per cent.

It includes the loss of five Pacer trains used on the Oldham loop, which closes in Octobers.

The meeting follows revelations that Northern Rail is likely to get only 106 of the 182 carriages previously pledged by the Department for Transport to operate across the entire north of England.

Authority chairman Councillor Keith Whitmore said: “Anyone who cares about the future of the economy in the North, and our ability to recover from recession, should care about this issue.

“On one hand we are talking about the very basic premise of people being able to get to work, education and healthcare — essential for any region to grow — but we are also talking about a very distinct and growing divide in investment between the North and the South.”

Northern Rail has not had any new carriages in the past five years, but operators serving London and the South-East got nearly 600, he said.

The amount spent on public transport per head in the South-East last year was £783, compared to £278 in the North-West.

Councillor Whitmore added: “We want to make the Minister aware of the frustration, anger and concern that commuters have on a daily basis.

“I challenge him to travel with me on a morning rush-hour train from Bolton to Manchester to witness it himself.”

At a Westminster Hall debate last week the Minister said the Oldham trains would be used to tackle overcrowding “across the network”, adding: “We will have to see in due course where they end up.”

Councillor Whitmore added: “The Government is going to get around £7 million back in subsidies once rail services end on the Oldham Loop Line.

“Why it can’t use part of that to pay for the Pacer trains to stay in Greater Manchester and provide some urgent relief on the overcrowded trains we witness every single day is simply baffling.”