Failures by TransPennine Express to make good on “previous promises” to Lockerbie train station passengers has led to a call for Government intervention.
Angry Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell wants UK Transport Minister Wendy Morton to bring the company to account and enforce contractual arrangements to deliver the agreed level of services.
Mr Mundell met the firm’s managing director, Matthew Golton, on Tuesday and expressed his disappointment that despite previous TransPennine promises, cancellations have continued.
He said: “Lockerbie Station users are angry and frustrated, as I am, at the current level of service being provided by TransPennine and I did not hold my punches in conveying that to Mr Golton.
“I wanted him to understand how unhappy rail travellers are with what has been happening. I accept that many of the issues at the weekend are due to industrial action, but cancellation of weekday services, particularly at short notice, cause the greatest disruption for many people and are not acceptable.
“I made that point along with the concern that tickets are still being sold for services which TransPennine know will be cancelled, which they claim is because tickets are bought through third parties like Trainline.”
Mr Mundell added: “Mr Golton again apologised for the poor level of service and pointed out Avanti services now stopped at Lockerbie to make up for some cancellations, as I had previously called for.
“However, I made clear that it was action rather than apologies that Lockerbie Station users wanted.
“That meant delivering the advertised timetable and, if there were to be cancellations, giving adequate notice. I emphasised that for people travelling from Lockerbie to Edinburgh there were very few practical alternative means of transport.
“The current situation cannot be allowed to continue, so I am now escalating the issue to the UK Transport Minister, Wendy Morton MP, and looking to her to call TransPennine to account for these service failures and to enforce contractual arrangements with the government to deliver the services promised at Lockerbie Station.”
Lockerbie passengers have been complaining about the poor level of service by TPE for years.
“A combination of staff sickness as well as industrial relations issues continues to impact our services on this route, and unfortunately in some cases, we have had to cancel certain trains, sometimes at very short notice.
