MP’s payouts call over pacer trains

Tracy Brabin MP has backed calls by city mayors and council leaders for Northern rail service to compensate passengers travelling on its outdated Pacer trains.
Pacers  old buses converted into trains  were introduced in the 80s.Pacers  old buses converted into trains  were introduced in the 80s.
Pacers  old buses converted into trains  were introduced in the 80s.

Mayors of Sheffield City Region and Greater Manchester, Dan Jarvis and Andy Burnham, and Leeds City Council leader Councillor Judith Blake have sent a letter to Northern managing director David Brown raising concerns over the trains.

The Batley and Spen MP is giving her full support to the letter, calling on Northern and the Government to improve services for people living in her constituency and across the north of England.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pacers – old buses converted into trains – were introduced in the 80s, originally as a short term solution to a lack of trains, but have continued to operate across the North.

The MP for Batley and Spen has backed the civic leaders’ calls, and hit out at the Government for a lack of investment in northern rail infrastructure.

She said: “That these tired old trains are still in operation in 2019 is a travesty.

“I asked the Leader of the House of Commons for a debate on Pacer trains 18 months ago so we could get some answers on this important subject for the North, and it’s yet to be delivered.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Even with the so-called Northern Powerhouse, transport spending in London has risen by twice as much as in the North. More than £3,600 is spent on transport per person in London; in Yorkshire this is just £511.

“This shows the contempt held for the North by this Government, increasingly widening the gap between the North and South. I give my full support to the leaders who have written to Northern. Passengers have had to put up with this poor service for far too long.”