[from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 25th July 2013]<\/p>\n
Thousands of rail passengers are being forced to travel on overcrowded trains.<\/p>\n
And a Huddersfield rail expert believes things are getting worse.<\/p>\n
Peter Marshall warned:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get on a train in Huddersfield to go to either Leeds or Manchester and you will be very lucky to get a seat.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Mr Marshall, of the Huddersfield Penistone Sheffield Rail Users\u2019 Association, was speaking as a new report revealed the scale of the problem on the nation\u2019s railways.<\/p>\n
On some routes, more than a fifth of passengers have to stand.<\/p>\n
Passengers on some morning and evening peak services in London are travelling on trains which are 60% over capacity on certain routes, the Department for Transport (DfT) figures showed.<\/p>\n
Transport Minister Norman Baker said:<\/p>\n
\u201cClimbing on to a very crowded train is an unpleasant experience and I sympathise with passengers using these services.<\/p>\n
\u201cI urge train operators to do what they can on these particular trains. The Department is working closely with the industry to ensure this issue is tackled.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
One of the worst lines away from London is the transPennine line.<\/p>\n
The highest PiXC \u2013 Passengers in excess of capacity \u2013 levels outside London in the 2012 statistics were at Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield, which all had just over 2% PiXC in the morning peak and between 1% and 2% in the afternoon peak.<\/p>\n
The 6.23am Manchester Airport-Middlesbrough service which runs through Huddersfield showed 269 passengers on carriages meant for 166 \u2013 some 62% overcrowded.<\/p>\n
Mr Marshall said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a fair reflection of the problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cPassenger numbers are going up all the time despite the recession yet we have no investment in rolling stock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the train companies have asked for new carriages but there is no help from the Government, who would be expected to subsidise the services.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes for very uncomfortable journeys, both for commuters on the lines from Huddersfield to either Leeds or Manchester or Sheffield and at other times.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can very rarely get a seat when you board at Huddersfield for those services and at Platform 16 at Leeds, boarding a train to Huddersfield is a right melee.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a case of the sharpest elbow wins\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Chris Nutton, programme director of First TransPennine, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are aware of the Department for Transport publication regarding crowded services and in particular the First TransPennine Express service between Manchester Airport and Middlesbrough.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravelling by train is more popular than ever before and offers a real alternative to commuting by road.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever we do recognise that some of our services are extremely crowded and as such we have invested \u00a360m in a fleet of new trains that will provide an additional 30 per cent capacity across our network.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese new trains are on target to begin to be delivered by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also introducing a new timetable in May 2014 that will see us increase train services between Manchester and Leeds from four to five services an hour\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 25th July 2013] Thousands of rail passengers are being forced to travel on overcrowded trains. And a Huddersfield rail expert believes things are getting worse. Peter Marshall warned: \u201cYou get on a train in Huddersfield … Continue reading