Northern is a disaster. Why have commuters been left to face it alone? | Kate Anstee
I founded Northern Resist to protest a rail service that is ruining passengers’ lives. When will the government step in?
The service provided by Northern (rail) has fallen well below a decent standard for many years now, but has significantly worsened since Arriva took over the franchise in 2016. I founded the Northern Resist group to protest how difficult people’s lives were becoming to manage as a result of a train service that is so integral to the country’s functioning – and that is failing them every single day.
While the delays, cancellations and overcrowding were my biggest gripes, other issues such as communication, my treatment on social media and general lack of empathy towards my situation exacerbated my angst with Northern. Following the timetable change in May 2018 the situation became a whole lot worse. The chaos that ensued on Northern and other parts of the UK rail network was laid bare by the rail regulator’s report on Thursday – “nobody took charge”, it concluded.
Related: Rail chaos: key points on official review of Britain’s network
Related: Fragmented railways will never work, public or private | Simon Jenkins
Source: Guardian Transport
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