Abrahams Urged To Tackle Rail Problems

Debbie Abrahams MP

Saddleworth News readers have urged local MP Debbie Abrahams to make pushing for improvements on the Manchester to Huddersfield railway line her top priority.

A poll’s been running on the site for the past week asking what issue she should make her main focus, with suggestions of various issues which are important to people in our area.

Improvements on the line, which includes stops at Marsden, Greenfield and Mossley, got 33% of the vote. Trying to get more money for local school buildings, such as the hoped-for new Saddleworth School at Diggle, was second with 23%.

Mrs Abrahams made her maiden speech in the House of Commons on the government’s controversial NHS reforms, and opposing those plans won 19% of the vote. Working with Oldham Council to ease the impact of the cuts took 16%, while 8% suggested she should focus on something else. A total of 86 people took part.

A Trans-Pennine train on the line near Diggle. But it's the Northern Rail branch line services which have provoked criticism.

Overcrowding has long been a problem on the Huddersfield line. During last year’s general election campaign, the now-disgraced former MP Phil Woolas promised to use his influence as Minister for the North West to try to secure more carriages for the line. In the autumn, the coalition government did announce new investment in 2,100 additional carriages across the country, but it’s not clear yet whether we’ll be getting any.

Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker recently told Saddleworth News: “People can have confidence I think that we do recognise the challenge. There’s investment going on for the future to try to make the extra capacity available so that people have a pleasant journey and are attracted to rail and enjoy it when they get there, in the years to come.”

Saddleworth News also asked Mrs Abrahams about this issue during the recent by-election campaign, and she promised to do what she could.

She said: “People are having to stand during their commute across the Pennines. First of all it’s not particularly safe, and also in terms of the congestion issues, I know that so many people, because of this, have decided they’re going to use their cars. There’s a build-up of traffic on the local road network, so this is important.”

At a recent Saddleworth Parish Council meeting, Conservative Cllr Dr David Atherton made his feelings about the service on the line clear, describing it as “diabolical.”

He told his fellow councillors about a recent journey during which passengers were “packed like a sardine tin” adding that three had to get off just so the driver could get on. He complained to Northern Rail, which runs the service, only to get what he called a “fudgey reply” in return.

Cllr Royce Franklin, who chairs the sub-committee which looks at transport matters in our area, said he sympathised with Cllr Atherton on overcrowding, adding that the problem was “rampant” across many parts of Greater Manchester. He stressed that Northern Rail had improved the punctuality of its trains with more than 90% now leaving on time, but said there was “room for improvement” both on overcrowding, and the quality of the rolling stock used on the line.

You can read the full interview with Norman Baker, which touches on a wide range of local transport matters, here.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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