 |
Mark Hunter MP & the Cheadle Liberal Democrats
|
|
Campaign for better rail services taken to Parliament
April 18, 2007 3:44 PM
Mark calls for better rail services for the North West
Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle today (18th April) tabled questions to the Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander about the inadequate rail services in the North West. The MP has questioned the Minister on the sense of new plans for the cross-country franchise that would terminate and begin some trains travelling from the South or South West to Glasgow at Birmingham.
Mr Hunter has also questioned the Minister about the congestion on trains in the North West, including the Virgin Pendolino and Northern Rail trains. On this matter Mr Hunter also asked what the Minister's plans were to deal with this congestion and whether Virgin trains would get the 106 carriages needed to relieve passenger congestion.
Speaking on this matter, Mark Hunter said: "The Government should be doing more to ensure that the rail services are fit for the needs of residents and commuters. Terminating and beginning the cross-country train line at Birmingham is an outrageous idea, it will inconvenience many travellers, increase journey times and inevitably force people off of trains and back into their cars.
"If the Government wants to encourage people out of cars and onto public transport then the least it can do is provide enough seats, no-one wants to travel on over-crowded trains. Yet this is becoming more and more of a problem. The Government needs to deliver on its promise to provide 1,000 extra carriages, and needs to ensure that these carriages are not just given to London and the South."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Mark Hunter MP
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats