Peak time train cancellations are 'unacceptable' says rail user group

Castleton Station

Local rail user group STORM is seeking an urgent meeting with Transport for Greater Manchester and Northern over the persistent cancellations of morning peak hour trains at Castleton and Mills Hill.

Richard Greenwood from STORM said: “Cancellations, when the basic service is only two trains per hour (every half hour), are unacceptable and are causing passengers enormous problems.   

“There was a peak hour cancellation on both Monday and Tuesday this week.

“When the new timetable was introduced in May 2018, the number of morning peak trains was reduced, but overall the service should have been better, as previously many trains were so badly overloaded when they arrived that passengers were unable to board.  

“Since May 2018 virtually all the trains start their journey at Rochdale, so overcrowding is no longer a problem.  

“These trains serving the local stations come in from Clitheroe or Blackburn, and are often either late starting or delayed en route, so that by the time they reach Victoria, their onward journey to Rochdale (and of course their next inward journey) is cancelled.

“If rail is to be a viable alternative to commuters in cars, it must be reliable.”