The lies of Northern Rail...

Exposing the lies of Northern Rail.

For years we have put up  with lame excuses, unfulfilled promises and appalling services and all for rising costs. Yes, Northern Rail claim, but we are improving stations at facilities. Well yes, my local station Castleford was recently victim to these improvements. Trues it’s never been the most attractive of stations but nevertheless has two large sheltered areas. One where around 16 people could sit and read the timetables or buy tickets. It offered additional space for around a dozen more pople. All under cover from the elements. There was a second shelter, with around 15 more undercover seats and plenty of room for any number of people with pushchairs or wheelchair users.

The new improvements see the large shelter completely removed and six seats installed in the open air in its place. There is a small shelter, seats around a dozen but no extra space and difficult for pushchairs or wheelchairs. The timetables and ticket machines are now out in the open. This is improvement, by my estimation,  around  50% less seating and around 80% less shelter. Well done Northern Rail.

Last Thursday however we exposed the lies of staff which led to delays for passengers, annoyance and frustration and not a single apology forthcoming. The 17.16 Leeds To Goole train is usually made up of three carriages, its often two but its supposed to be four. Only once since they promised four carriages two years ago has that happened. The 17.16 is a very busy train, it its regularly the case that people are left at Leeds as they physically cannot get onto the train.

On arrival at Leeds last Thursday, I noticed that the train wasn’t listed on its normal platform, it had moved from its normal one and was showing it would not stop at Woodlesford or Castleford, these are the first two stops on the line and ones the train has to go through and in the case of Castleford it actually HAS to stop there as it turns around. The driver and guard were very clear, this train would not stop at either station. The Northern rail blokes on the platform also confirmed this but there was a distinct whiff of BS flying about..

I decided to go to customer services on the bridge and ask them how could it be that it wouldn’t stop? He told me it would, that they would announce it would after it had left the station, it was just a ploy because the train was only two carriages long and they didn’t want people to get on it. Outrageous, many people took them at their word and didn’t board. I knew they were lying so got on and as it sent off – with seats and space available – low and behold the announcement that they would in fact, be calling at both stations after all….. No comfort to the many people waiting at Leeds for the next train – which incidentally I am told was also late and short form (as they call it) i.e. not enough carriages.

After such an episode of outright lies, why would we believe anything that they say.. I am not exactly backwards at complaining, such is there poor service and total ambivalence. Out of the last three communications I got one reply. One was actually a very serious request for access to CCTV which they didn’t even bother to reply beyond initial acknowledgement. 

I would be very interested in any examples of shoddy service, or lies that you have, I really intend to ensure Northern Rail are brought to task as they are totally incapable of running trains or in fact dealing with customers at all.