Northern urged to reinstate dropped Lakes service

Transport for North is urging rail firm to reinstate the Lakes Line services as soon as possible.

The decision to drop the line that runs to and from Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme and Windermere has been met with widespread anger from business leaders and tourism organisations.

The introduction of a new timetable has seen the cancellation of hundreds of services across the region.
And Northern has been criticised for its poor service by politicians from all sides.

Northern informed Transport for the North that to reinstate services on the Lakes Line, after two weeks of the interim timetable, would be likely to lead to further delays and unscheduled cancellations on the line and across the wider network.

Transport for the North is now urging Northern to come up with options for restoring rail services on the Lakes Line as soon as possible.
John Cridland, Chairman of Transport for the North, said: “It’s disappointing that we are in this position, as communities and businesses rely on the Lakes Line service.

“Northern must now do everything they can to get a train service running again on that line as soon as possible. This cannot go on for a prolonged period.

“Northern has said that passengers would be likely to experience further cancellations and unscheduled delays across the Lakes and wider network if services are reinstated.

“As the voice of the North’s communities, we cannot responsibly insist that they take that operational decision. The passengers come first.

“Let us be clear, our support for Cumbria is unwavering. We are urging Northern to look at all ways in which a rail service on the line can be restored by the beginning of July at the latest.”