Business and political leaders in the north have called on Northern and TransPennine to “step up” over the Christmas period.
Sub-national transport body Transport for the North said the rail operators should “step up, be open and honest” following a week of cancellations and crowding after a timetable change.
David Hoggarth, Transport for the North’s strategic rail director, said service from both operators has been “way below par”.
He said: “The impact of that is northerners being late for work, missing their children’s bedtime, spending hours to travel short distances and simply avoiding trains.
“Too often they are left standing on the platform with little or no idea of what is happening – a rough welcome home for Christmas.”
Timetable changes came into effect on December 15, with customers experiencing cancellations - both pre-planned and last-minute - as well as shortened trains and overcrowding.
The transport body said at one point only 47 per cent of TransPennine Express services met the basic industry performance measure - within 5 to 10 minutes of scheduled arrival time - with statistics showing it has been the worst performing rail operator in the country this week.
Mr Hogarth said: “As part of our Rail North Committee, the north’s leaders have been scrutinising operators intensively throughout the year ahead of this timetable change.
“We repeatedly urged the changes to be realistic and deliverable; for detailed contingency packages to be in place; for the rollout of new trains to be intensively monitored; and for staffing issues to be ironed out well in advance.
“We were repeatedly reassured that these matters would be effectively tackled. They weren’t. Passengers are again paying the price.”
The comments come ahead of the transport body’s Rail North Committee on January 8 in Leeds, where leaders are set to discuss issues and a “way forward”.
