DOZENS of no-show train services left commuters stranded across Barnsley - with the town’s ten stations having three-quarters of their services delayed and many more completely cancelled in the first weeks of the year.
Department for Transport statistics obtained by the Chronicle compare cancelled Northern-operated services at Barnsley Interchange, Darton, Wombwell, Penistone, Elsecar, Goldthorpe, Bolton-upon-Dearne, Thurnscoe, Silkstone Common and Dodworth.
Dodworth was the worst-impacted station for cancellations, with almost one in ten services culled between January 5 and February 1.
Silkstone Common also performed poorly, with 6.9 per cent of its services being cancelled, but when added together the town’s stations had a total missed service rate of 59.2 per cent.
The punctuality rate of those that did arrive has also drawn criticism, with an average of 74 per cent of the town’s entire services not arriving on time.
Plans for a landmark bill to re-work railways - including setting up a ‘powerful’, passenger-led watchdog to give commuters a voice and hold train operators to account - were unveiled by the government last month and are now going through a consultation phase.
The ‘once-in-a-generation overhaul’ will establish Great British Railways (GBR), a new body which is aiming to deliver reliable services and hold operators to account.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said passengers have been ‘let down for too long’ and vowed to make changes.
“This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on,” she added.
“We’re giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services and boosting the economy in the process.
“This includes getting trains to turn up when they’re meant to, ensuring a proper seven-day a week service where Sunday services are as reliable as those on a Monday.
“It’s also about rebuilding passenger confidence via one punctual, comfortable journey at a time as it is the minimum that our fare payers deserve, yet too often don’t see.
“Performance is nowhere near good enough across the board, but it’s not helped by the labyrinth of different contracts, measures and incentives at play.
“All are committed, enthusiastic and ready to work across organisational boundaries to deliver a better railway.
“Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long - our railways are essential to getting Britain growing and moving again.”
Northern was taken into public ownership under the Conservative government in 2020 but its performance has failed to improve.
Cancellations have soared to record high levels and fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010.
Barnsley-based passengers have faced a huge 394 per cent increase in cancelled services since 2016.
Barnsley North MP Dan Jarvis added: “Passengers across Barnsley were forced to put up with unacceptable delays and cancellations for too long under the previous government.
“The Labour government are creating railways that passengers can trust - not least by setting up a new independent passenger watchdog that will ensure passengers’ voices are heard.
“Change won’t happen immediately, but this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul our railways for the better.”
Stephanie Peacock, who represents Barnsley South, praised Labour’s intervention.
“This is the biggest overhaul of the railway sector in a generation.
“For too long people across Barnsley have seen unacceptable levels of delays, cancellations and waste thanks to failing private train operators.
“Change won’t happen overnight, but the reforms that the government have introduced aim to put passengers first, encourage growth through connectivity, and deliver more reliable services for our community.”
Penistone and Stocksbridge’s Marie Tidball, whose recent work has included championing improvements on the ‘Penistone Line’ to boost punctuality, said services’ reliability is key to building confidence with commuters.
“For too long, our communities have been let down by cancellations, overcrowded trains, and long journey times on our railways,” she told the Chronicle.
”On the day the previous Conservative government announced that £235m of ‘Network North’ funds would be allocated to potholes in London, three out of six Penistone Line services were cancelled during a four-hour period.
“Our government is delivering on our manifesto promise to bring railways under public ownership and put passengers back at the heart of services after 30 years of privatisation.
“I am also delighted the Chancellor confirmed funding for the Penistone Line upgrade project and am working with the government to ensure this project is delivered to serve our communities.”
