Yesterday (12th October), Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, in his role as a member of the Transport Select Committee, questioned Richard Scott, Director of Corporate Affairs for the West Coast Partnership rail franchise.
Mr Largan sought answers over the severe reduction of services provided by the operator, with fewer than 50 per cent of railway services offered by the franchise currently arriving on time.
When asked about this record, Mr Scott responded: “No, it’s not good enough.”
During his questioning, Mr Largan took the opportunity to press Mr Scott on the reasons behind the poor provision of timely services and what was being done to mitigate this, criticising their business model and reliance on drivers working rest days.
In response, Mr Scott outlined the effects of the decision by drivers to stop working on rest days from the end of July. Services offered by the West Coast Partnership, he explained, had been heavily reliant on drivers continuing to work overtime to maintain their scheduled services.
The subsequent decision to stop this practice had left the franchise unable to meet its planned timetable, with Mr Scott commenting: “It is right we are held to account.”
When asked by Mr Largan how confident he was that he could turn service provision around over the next six months, Mr Scott remarked that the “top priority” was ensuring that rail services ramp-up by December to near pre-pandemic levels, by moving away from the traditional reliance on rest-day drivers.
This follows Mr Largan’s ongoing campaign for Northern Rail to restore rail services to their pre-pandemic frequency.
Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, commented:
“The current provision of services by West Coast Partnership is simply not good enough.
“Assurances given by railway operators that services will pick up by Christmas are welcome but must be backed up with clear results.
“It is areas like High Peak that are often neglected most when it comes to railway service provision. Given the significant level of Government support received by railway operators throughout the pandemic this must change.”
