AMBITIONS to end Barnsley rail commuters’ misery have been set out in a new report which reveals a plan to transform services.
Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, set out a roadmap to reform the railways last week in a bid to restore passengers’ faith in a system which leaders say is ‘broken’.
Cancellations have soared to record high levels, fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010 and strikes are costing taxpayers £25m for every day they go ahead.
Labour announced plans to fold existing private passenger rail contracts into the ‘Great British Railways’ banner as they expire, without the taxpayer paying a penny in compensation costs, as part of a publicly-owned and ‘passenger-focused’ railway.
Barnsley passengers have faced a huge 394 per cent increase in cancelled services since 2016, and only 50.2 per cent of Northern Rail trains were on time in October to December last year.
Ms Haigh said: “Labour will deliver the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation. Whilst the Conservatives are content to let our broken railways fail passengers, we want to deliver reform.
“After years of dysfunction and waste our broken railways are unfit to meet the needs of passengers.
“Passengers and taxpayers alike are being failed, and our economy is being held back – doing nothing is simply not an option.
“A publicly-owned railway will be single-mindedly focused on delivering for passengers and will be held to account on delivering reliable, safe, efficient, accessible, affordable and quality services.”
