An East Lancashire MP has said that rail services in the region aren’t “good enough” after serving on a committee scrutinising the Government’s new Railways Bill.
Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn, explained that Great British Railways (GBR) will look to bring together passenger train operators and rail infrastructure under a single organisation.
She said the new bill looks to replace a fragmented system that has separated track and train for decades and bring services back into public ownership.
Ms Smith said: “People are fed up with rubbish rail services.
"They are paying high fares for services that are too often late, cancelled or overcrowded. That isn’t good enough.
“Accrington grew as a railway town, serving the mills, brickworks and our wider industries.
"Strong rail links helped build our community and they should help power our future too.
“When travelling between home in Oswaldtwistle and work in Westminster, I often rely on unreliable and overcrowded trains.
“Like many parents, I have been stuck on an overcrowded, delayed service with my toddler, trying to keep him calm, when the changing table isn’t even big enough for him.
“In many other countries, there are proper, accessible family areas and modern, reliable services. Here, too often, you are lucky if the train arrives on time.”
However, rail operator Northern, which runs services in East Lancashire, has been under government ownership since 2020 and has faced repeated criticism over delays, cancellations and overcrowding.
Additionally, in December, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government would be investing in rail services in the North, but snubbed East Lancashire.
Also within the package, there was no mention of the reintroduction of the Colne-Skipton line.
READ MORE: East Lancashire road to shut for Network Rail bridge inspection
READ MORE: One-of-a-kind steam train coming to East Lancashire Railway
Ms Smith highlighted there are particular issues on routes connecting Accrington and Church & Oswaldtwistle with Manchester, Blackburn, Preston and Burnley.
The new system will be overseen by a public sector body, with the Transport Secretary saying that the railways will not be a “plaything of politicians”.
Heidi Alexander insisted Great British Railways, which is expected to be formed next year, will be controlled by “people who know the industry in their bones”.
The Cabinet minister expressed concern that it was left to rail minister Lord Hendy to give the final go-ahead for a major timetable change on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), which was a decision that “really should be taken by experts, not politicians”.
The creation of GBR is a fundamental part of the Government’s wide-ranging reforms of Britain’s railways.
It will be responsible for running trains and managing infrastructure, and will also sell tickets.
These were all roles held by Government-owned British Rail before the industry was privatised in the mid-1990s.
Ms Smith added: “This Bill will bring track and train back together under one publicly owned organisation, strengthen the passenger watchdog so standards can actually be enforced, and set a clear long-term direction for our railways.
“Serving on the Committee has taken a great deal of work, but it has meant I have been directly involved in shaping reforms that will fix a system that has not worked for people here.
"Our community deserves a railway it can rely on.”
The Transport Select Committee said “key policies, processes and decisions are awaited” in relation to what will happen once GBR is created.
It urged the Government to publish a “comprehensive list, with target dates” of “decisions, key documents and planned consultations” for the body’s establishment and first year of operation.
Share