WARRINGTON South MP Andy Carter is pressing Northern for an urgent update on how it plans to improve the reliability of services amid mounting concerns.

As reported last week, commuters have been left frustrated after it cancelled some stops at the new £20.5 million Warrington West railway station in Chapelford.

Tory Mr Carter says he is very grateful for the feedback from residents using services, while urging them to continue to let him know about any problems they experience.

He said: “Northern’s woeful performance was raised in the House of Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday with the PM confirming that the Government have started a process which could result in stripping Northern Rail of its franchise and I will again be pressing the rail minister for an update at transport questions this coming Friday.

“There is nothing more annoying than a train company missing out stops because a service is running late, causing even more inconvenience and confusion to passengers.

“Train operators should stick to the published timetable, running the right number of trains through all Warrington stations.

“I’m in regular communication with the director responsible for Northern’s service delivery, I’ve asked them for an urgent update on how they plan to improve their reliability.”

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington West railway station

Warrington Borough Council has also been monitoring the situation closely.

A spokesman said: “We are aware that there are occasions where Northern Rail are taking the decision to skip station calls, including at Warrington West when trains to Liverpool are running late.

“This is something which we are very unhappy about and we will be writing to Northern Rail to ask how many times this has happened and to urge them not to do this.

“When it occurs, it can leave Warrington West station with, in effect, only one train per hour.

“We will continue to lobby the rail industry to increase the frequency of rail services to Warrington West station and, indeed, all other rail stations in Warrington in the future.”

Last week, Northern regional director Chris Jackson said the company’s services continue to be affected by the well-documented and ongoing capacity issues in central Manchester.

He added: “As a result, it has been necessary, on a handful of occasions to cancel some stops on the route between Manchester Oxford Road and Liverpool Lime Street.

“These decisions are not taken lightly but allow us to reduce the impact of delays on subsequent services.

“We are absolutely committed to providing the best possible service for our customers are Warrington West and will continue to work with colleagues across the rail industry to develop solutions that may allow for the introduction of more services.”