One of Hull’s most influential businessman has piled the pressure on the region’s rail services, as Northern’s final week as a franchise operator comes to a close.
KCom managing director Sean Royce has taken to Twitter, expressing his frustration at apparent overcrowding on the Manchester link.
In a blast on social media, Mr Royce called on more parity when it comes to huge funding pots for transport infrastructure.
He said: “The train service in the North is simply not good enough. If we want to grow the economy with Northern Powerhouse Partnership then action is needed now. Every day misery for commuters from Hull to Leeds and Manchester. HS2 versus northern transport investment needs balancing.”
He posted a picture of a Northern service with glum-looking passengers in the aisles, ironically, immediately after a corporate banner in which his business has pledged to make Hull the ‘ultrafast city’.
Northern Rail was stripped of its franchise by the government in January, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ department taking it back into public ownership on Sunday.
This is the final week under the Arriva umbrella, with services across the North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humber.
The move came after years of punctuality and reliability problems for commuters on Northern, which began its franchise in 2016 and was due to run until 2025.
Other operators aren’t faring too well either. Transpennine Express has been set public targets to get performance back on track by northern leaders uniting under the Transport for the North banner. It is England’s first sub-national transport body and a statutory partner of the Department of Transport.
Owned by First Group, that franchise runs until March 2023.
