On Wednesday 2 February, as part of his role on the House of Commons’ Transport Select Committee, MP for High Peak, Robert Largan, questioned the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, on the proposed new timetable for rail services on the Manchester to Buxton line.

Mr Largan questioned the Mayor as part of the Committee’s ongoing inquiry into the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan.

Following the recommendations of the Manchester Recovery Task Force, Northern and TransPennine Express published proposals for changes to the existing timetable structure of rail services in the High Peak.

In the proposals, the Manchester and Buxton line will be hourly during the off-peak periods, with two trains an hour running during the morning and evening peak periods.

Mr Largan has campaigned on a cross-party basis, together with the leaders of High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, to maintain the current two trains per hour service on the Manchester-Buxton line.

The High Peak MP asked Mr Burnham whether he agreed with those who argued that reducing the frequency of services would improve reliability, and whether this was a price worth paying. 

In response, Mr Burnham admitted his culpability in the introduction of a timetable in 2018 which resulted in congested rail lines and a drop in the reliability of services. 

In addition, the Mayor confirmed that he supported the new timetable proposals:

“I think reliability comes first. Reluctantly […] we have had to accept that to fix the problems of 2018 we have to go back to a reduced timetable in December.”

Mr Burnham also conceded to Mr Largan that, “it is often areas like your constituency that suffer from that reduction in service frequency and coverage.”

Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, commented: 

“The proposed new timetable would see a significant reduction in services and negatively impact the High Peak.

“I remain committed to working on a cross-party basis to maintain the current two trains per hour service.”