Northern Train slash to Sunday Service is a threat to Liverpool’s Economy

Liverpool Liberal Democrats are demanding action from the Metro Mayor as incoming timetable changes cut key Sunday services in half to one train every two hours. 

From Sunday, 14th December, Northern Trains will introduce a new timetable that Liverpool Lib Dem Councillor Liz Makinson has described as unusable for many passengers. She is calling on the Labour Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to take action and prevent the massive cuts to the service. 

The timetable changes are set to last for at least the next 6 months trains on three key routes into Liverpool. 

The services, which had previously run hourly, will now run every two hours, making them less convenient for shoppers, sightseers, or anyone commuting to work.

The services affected are trains running from:

• Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport via Newton-le-Willows 
• Liverpool Lime Street to St Helens, Wigan and Blackpool
• Liverpool Lime Street to Warrington and Manchester Oxford Road line.

On average, ten trains will be cut every Sunday, leaving most stations with a two-hour gap for most of the day.

Councillor Liz Makinson, Liverpool Liberal Democrat Councillor on the Merseytravel Committee, said: 

“Let’s face it, if your bus gets stuck in traffic or you can’t find a space at the station, and you miss your train, are you really gonna sit on a cold platform in the middle of December and wait nearly two hours for the next train? No, of course not!

“It’s the run-up to Christmas, the last thing our city’s economy needs is reasons for people not to come to Liverpool. Northern’s decision to cut these services between the two UK core cities is nothing more than short-sighted and completely unacceptable. 

“Why have any of our Labour MPs or the Metro Mayor spoken out about this? They should join us in calling on Northern to maintain hourly train services on Sundays to Liverpool. These cuts are going to turn shoppers away, and that will have a knock-on effect on Liverpool’s economy, not just this December but well into the new year.”

“In the past, privatisation has been to blame for Northern’s poor performance. However, Northern Trains has been run by the Government for the last 5 years. We need a firm promise from Northern and government ministers that this will be the last timetable that leaves Liverpool with a second-class service.”

Note:

You can see details of the amended Sunday timetable here https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/amended-sunday-timetables