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Timetable disruption cost northern economy £38m, bosses call for greater TfN devolution

Rail industry chaos caused by new timetables on 20 May cost the northern England economy £38m, new analysis has shown.

Analysis produced by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), a group led by former chancellor George Osborne, found that almost 950,000 hours were lost between 20 May and 30 June as a result of delays and cancellations caused by the new timetables: an average of 22,504 a day.

The report highlighted issues with rail disruption including employees unable to get to work, parents faced with “endless delays and services cancelled without warning,” and business being forced to count the cost of more than one million hours of lost time.

TransPennine Express failed to provide data to the report, hence the lost hours is predicted to be well over a million.

Commuters bore the brunt of the disruption with 56% of all trips hit by disruption happening to those commuting during the week. That’s a massive 529,301 hours lost during just over a month.

The scathing report is not the only critic of the north’s rail services recently. Today, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham blasted the government to “solve the chaos” on railways in the north.

Burnham’s comments come after more chaos on Northern’s services over the weekend: on 29 July a massive 47 services were withdrawn from Northern’s lines due to staffing shortages, including nearly every service between Liverpool and Manchester Airport.

In June, Burnham claimed Chris Grayling was “asleep at the wheel” in his handling of the debacle that was the implementation of new timetables on 20 May.

The Northern Powerhouse rail will be on the agenda at this year’s TransCityRail when Northern Powerhouse Rail Director Tim Wood takes the stage as the keynote speaker.

The NPP outlined one of the key issues of Transport for North’s powers in working with Whitehall: the report said the current structure for control of the nation’s railways is “not for purpose.”

It continued: “Northern leaders were powerless to do anything about the crisis because of the lack of authority government have given to Transport for the North (TfN).”

The report noted that TfN was set up by then-chancellor George Osborne in 2014 and are now the UK’s first statutory sub-national transport body.

“However,” the report said, “their level of influence over northern transport is far too constrained and government needs to give them full franchise control through Rail North with oversight of infrastructure enhancements. This will bring together the economic ambition of the Northern Powerhouse with the levers to improve the connectivity needed east and west.”

The NPP called for the government to devolve powers to the TfN to have full accountability over the operation of the north’s rail network.

George Osborne said: “This report sets out a clear message to government – the Northern Powerhouse is crying out for more devolution.

“This is the very role we envisaged Transport for the North doing when we set them up; Northern leaders will support them in making sure the people of the Northern Powerhouse get the modern, connected network they deserve.”

Labour’s transport secretary Andy McDonald said: “Over the decades that the Tories have savaged our industrial heritage, rail manufacturing has declined, major public contracts have gone overseas, and the skills the sector needs have received unforgivably poor support.

“We will rebuild our rail industry, to develop the hi-tech skills of young people and all workers, to promote 21st Century manufacturing, and to defend jobs and the communities that depend on them.”

Devolution of powers will be a key talking-point at next year’s EvoNorth. Don’t miss the chance to attend, visit the website here.

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