Covid-19: Wakefield rail cuts leave commuters frustrated

Northern says it has been forced to cut services due to staff shortages

Rail passengers in part of West Yorkshire have expressed their frustration at a temporary reduction in some services due to driver shortages.

Northern has cut train services to towns in the Wakefield district due to Covid-related staff absences.

Passenger groups said it was unfair the area was "bearing the brunt" and it would not happen in "leafy Harrogate".

Train operator Northern said it had made the "difficult decision" to reduce service levels and apologised.

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Dave Hogg, a public transport users representative, said passengers in Pontefract were among those left "frustrated" by the changes.

"We seem to be bearing the brunt of any problems Northern are encountering," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Hogg said the district appeared to be at the "bottom of the pecking order".

The service cuts have affected commuters who normally travel by train to work in Leeds.

Paul Cartwright, from Pontefract Civic Society, said: "They currently don't have suitably timed trains, given the early ones which have been cut.

"If we were in leafy Skipton or Harrogate, this wouldn't be happening."

Commuters in towns like Pontefract are "frustrated" by timetable changes, representatives say

Tom Gordon, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Knottingley, another of the towns affected by the service changes, said people in the area, which has high levels of deprivation, were already struggling.

"Having to get a taxi to work because your train doesn't turn up is going to push people over the edge," Mr Gordon said.

In an email to passengers, Pete Myers, Northern's stakeholder manager, said the firm had to make cuts at all its depots and there was no plan to "disadvantage any area more than any other".

'Difficult decision'

In a statement, Northern said it was affected by coronavirus like any other business.

"While we do operate with additional staff, it can sometimes be difficult to provide cover for every service," it said.

"Therefore we have had to make the difficult decision to reduce service levels on some routes on our network."

The company said it advised customers of the risk of short-notice changes and urged them to check before travelling.

"We would like to apologise for any disruption that may occur as a result of the impact of coronavirus," it added.

The company's website states the replacement timetable would last until 29 January at least.

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