South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis criticises Northern rail service cuts

Northern said it was seeing fewer commuters and was prioritising routes with the highest demand

Cuts to rail services in South Yorkshire, affecting routes between Sheffield, Leeds and Nottingham, have been criticised by the region's mayor.

Dan Jarvis said the decision by rail operator Northern risked "locking in the damage" to public transport brought about by the pandemic.

He said efforts should be focused on recovering services, not cutting them back.

Northern said it was prioritising routes with the highest demand.

"It is deeply disappointing to see yet more cuts to our rail services in South Yorkshire, which will have a huge impact on the commuter corridor between Sheffield and Leeds, and the towns and villages in between which rely on those services to stay connected," Mr Jarvis said.

"Cuts of this nature... affect people's job prospects, encourage more cars to be on the roads... and in some cases completely cut off whole communities," he added.

Mr Jarvis said he would be writing to the secretary of state and seeking urgent talks with Northern regarding the cuts.

A spokesperson for the government-run operator said: "We are doing all we can to provide the best possible service for our customers."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the firm, which cut services during lockdown, said it was seeing fewer commuters and people travelling at different times.

"We've made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available and prioritising the routes with the highest customer demand," the spokesperson added.

The changes, which include the removal of the 08.16 Leeds - Sheffield service, and the Sheffield - Gainsborough central service being scrapped entirely, are due to be phased in from May.

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