[T]he new rail timetable coming into operation this week leaves Penrith with a worse service heading north to Edinburgh says the Federation of Small Businesses.
Before the new timetable Penrith had 11 direct weekday services each day to Edinburgh and 8 in the opposite direction with services from both Virgin Trains and TransPennine. From this week there will be only 8 services northbound to Edinburgh, due to the withdrawal of TransPennine services, and 9 southbound.
It is the northbound service change that is of particular concern, as the gaps in service are dramatic. The first northbound direct train from May 20 will be at 2.43pm. In the previous timetable there were three direct trains before 2pm. In a particularly poor piece of scheduling there is then a train every hour after 3pm.
These changes in scheduling compound the second-class service that Penrith is already given. So while Oxenholme and Penrith stations both have just over 500,000 passengers a year, Virgin Trains has 7 direct fast trains to London from Penrith each day, while Oxenholme has 12 direct fast trains to London each day.
The Sunday service southbound to London from Penrith is particularly poor, making Penrith less convenient as a destination for tourists. The first train southbound on Sunday is just after 11am, and there are only four fast services on a Sunday with a five-hour gap in fast services between midday and 5pm. In contrast Oxenholme has 7 fast direct services on a Sunday and no five hour gaps.
Joe Saxton, Keswick-based businessman, and representative for the FSB said: “It was really welcome when TransPennine introduced new services for Penrith a few years ago, providing better direct access to Manchester and Edinburgh. These services allowed people to travel to Manchester and Edinburgh more easily particularly earlier in the day. These services have been part of the reason that passengers’ numbers to Penrith topped 500,000 for the first time in 2017. It’s sad that TransPennine are introducing such a poor new timetable for Penrith to Edinburgh. How is tourism or business meant to flourish if there is no direct northbound train till nearly 3pm?
“This change comes on top of the second-class service that Virgin Trains provides to Penrith with less trains, over-crowded expensive parking, and no dedicated ticket office staff.
“Penrith station is vital for a flourishing local economy. Penrith station is used by businesspeople, by tourists, by schoolchildren, by commuters, yet it has consistently received sub-standard train services and station facilities over the last decade. Penrith needs a mainline train service on a par with Oxenholme to help the Penrith and North Cumbrian economy.”
The FSB calls on TransPennine to restore the morning services from Penrith to Edinburgh and calls on Virgin Trains to give Penrith a comparable service level to Oxenholme for trains to and from Euston and Birmingham.