There have been two debates in the House of Commons about the ongoing problems our railways are facing. I have raised my concerns with Ministers directly, Mary Robinson MP made a speech on behalf of her constituents and William Wragg MP secured a debate in the Commons chamber specifically on Northern and the problems being faced by people around Greater Manchester.
Unfortunately, not a single one of Greater Manchester’s 23 Labour MPs found the time to raise their concerns directly with Ministers and get answers in either debate. Too many politicians, it seems, can grandstand in the media but fail to make their voices heard where it counts – with Ministers.
Chris Grayling has made the concerns with Northern Rail his number one priority and I am going to work with him to resolve these problems as soon as possible and ensure that our electrification programme is delivered as fast as possible.