A Cumbrian MP has has the Government to step in if the West Coast Mainline train operator does not improve.
Simon Fell, who represents Barrow and Furness, has asked for assurances that Avanti West Coast will be stripped of its franchise if services don’t get better.
The company was only given a six-month extension of its contract by the last Government.
Mr Fell was taking part in an Urgent Question in Parliament about the current contract. He said: “On Saturday, I endured what was almost a 10-hour odyssey across the UK to go from Barrow to London for an engagement, which I then missed.
“For our constituents, it’s many more times than that. They’re missing trips to the airport, trips to see their families. They’re missing their commutes. It’s simply unacceptable.”
The MP also lambasted the excessive costs, as a result of issues with being able to book ahead onto Avanti trains. He added: “(Passengers) can’t book ahead. And, their tickets are ridiculously expensive as a result.”
Calling on the Government to step in and take tough action should Avanti fail to address these issues quickly, Mr Fell asked Transport Minister Kevin Forster MP to confirm that the Government would strip the operator of the franchise, adding: “If Avanti’ don’t improve these services and quickly, can my right honourable friend confirm that they’ll be stripped of their franchise?”
Mr Forster confirmed that such action is a consideration for the Government, however due legal process must play out first.
Mr Forster also confirmed that improvements must be in place by April 2023, before the Government will consider any further action against Avanti, of which, the minister said, stripping Avanti of the franchise would be a very strong consideration.
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, also spoke in the Parliamentary debate about Avanti and the knock-on effect of plans to close ticket offices.
He said that poor performance of train operators was down to a lack of staff and this would only be exacerbated by the closure of ticket offices.
According to the RMT, almost 1,000 ticket offices across the country are set to close, including several in Cumbria.
Mr Farron said: “Will the minister reflect on the fact that one of the reasons there is such low morale amongst rail staff is because of the Government-sanctioned closure of ticket offices.
“Not just on the mainline in Penrith and Oxenholme, but also places like Appleby, Windermere and Grange.
“Will he push Avanti and other rail companies to keep those ticket offices and therefore do something about staff morale and therefore train reliability?”
Mr Foster said: “We could probably have quite a session in changes on ticket buying patterns that we’ve seen over recent years where the numbers of people buying tickets at a ticket office have declined very dramatically.
“We’re keen that we see staff who are deployed at stations as much outside on the concourse helping and assisting rather than sitting behind a glass screen waiting to sell people a ticket.”
Afterwards, Mr Farron said: “Of course more and more people are buying tickets online, but for people who may be elderly, disabled or are visitors to Cumbria, ticket offices can so often perform a vital service. We must keep these ticket offices open.”
