London-North rail cuts: Grant Shapps criticises mayors

A row has developed over rail service cuts between London and north-west England, with the transport secretary saying Labour mayors should "take the matter up with the rail unions".

It follows Avanti West Coast's decision to run four trains an hour, instead of seven, from Sunday.

The mayors in London and Manchester have called it a "national outrage".

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said their request for a full restoration was a "crude attempt at misdirection".

Avanti previously said it wanted to halt short-notice cancellations, which have affected operations in recent weeks, and that the service cuts were due to train drivers taking strike action.

It said the limited timetable, which includes one Manchester-London service an hour instead of the usual three, would be in place "until further notice".

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, and London mayor Sadiq Khan said it was "completely unacceptable" in a letter earlier this week to Mr Shapps.

"Our cities rely heavily on the West Coast Main Line and this unilateral withdrawal of services, on the basis of what appears to be a complete failure of Avanti's senior management to manage rostering and rest-day working, is frankly a national outrage."

They asked for an urgent meeting with Mr Shapps, saying that Avanti's contract should not be renewed in October unless its management agreed on a date for a full timetable restoration.

Responding in a letter on Saturday, the transport secretary said the rail system "needs reform when it relies on voluntary working to function properly".

"It's time to end outdated practices, stop the strikes and put taxpayers and passengers first."

He also accused the Labour mayors, including Steve Rotheram in the Liverpool City Region, of being under the influence of unions that financially support the Labour Party.

"Union paymasters are calling in their favours and pulling your strings."

The train drivers' union Aslef responded that Mr Shapps was a "liar" and criticised Avanti for "not employing enough drivers".

In a recent letter to the rail industry, Avanti West Coast managing director Phil Whittingham wrote that Avanti normally ran about 400 trains a week, with drivers voluntarily working on their rest days for extra pay. However, he said that had "dropped suddenly to fewer than 50".

He blamed the "current industrial relations climate" for strikes and "severe staff shortages… through increased sickness levels".

Mr Whittingham apologised for the "enormous frustration and inconvenience", saying the reduced timetable was being introduced so "customers can travel with greater certainty".

He added that more than 250 new drivers were being recruited and trained.

Passengers who have already bought tickets for services removed from the timetable will be able to travel on the service before or after their original booking or claim a full refund.

An Avanti spokeswoman said: "We urge the rail unions to engage in meaningful industry reform discussions around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st Century and we look forward to further talks on this."

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