MP caught up in a tight situation

by Adam Derbyshire

November 19, 2008

| Submit Comments | Comments (6) | Previous | Next

WEDGED in a train corridor with no room to move, MP James Purnell gets a taste of a rush hour rail journey into Manchester.

The Stalybridge and Hyde MP was challenged by local constituent Ky Marland, 32, to see for himself the overcrowded conditions faced by daily commuters.

He agreed to take the 8.08am from Stalybridge to Manchester Piccadilly. He was astonished at the crammed carriages and agreed it was ‘unacceptable’.

His idea was to chat to passengers during the 12-minute journey, but the plan was thwarted as the carriages filled to bursting point.

As the Transpennine Express service chugged out of Stalybridge, some people were even left behind on the station — and Mr Purnell was forced to endure the trip crushed next to the toilet.

It was clearly claustrophobic and uncomfortable. Indeed it was too much for some. A teenage girl suffered a panic attack and had to be helped to the toilet in front of the MP.

After alighting in Manchester, Mr Purnell said: "It’s unacceptable. I am well aware of the problems but seeing it first hand does bring it home what passengers endure every morning just to get to work."

The MP said the journey had hardened his support for the TIF bid.

"We need billions of pounds to improve these services. We need more carriages and more services. That is why the TIF proposals and the congestion charge are so important," he said.

Ky, a recruitment officer, was delighted Mr Purnell had risen to the challenge.

The dad-of-one, of Huddersfield Road, Stalybridge said: "The girl who suffered the panic attack only went to illustrate the point. In fact my father-in-law caught the rush-hour train to Manchester from Ashton recently and a gentleman collapsed on board. But people were so packed together he didn’t even fall to the ground."

A spokesman for First Transpennine said: "The government intend to introduce 1,300 extra vehicles in the next five years and we are pressing our case for more for First TransPennine Express to cope with demand."

| Submit Comments | Comments (6) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 6 and replies | View All

NS (19/11/2008 at 21:11)

So Mr Purnell, whose party has had 11 years in government to do something about it, thinks that the best solution to a private company running overcrowded service is to give them more subsidy?
If the service is shoddy now how does handing them more subsidy help? There is clearly a market for these services, so why can't a private company supply that market?
What this article fails to make clear is that TiF would add no more than 2950 extra train seats across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester so averaged out, less than 300 seats for Tameside. It has to be an average figure because the number of seats per borough has not been revealed. Why not?
Mr Purnell has fallen for the spin.

Robb (MART - www.tamesidemart.co.uk), Audenshaw (20/11/2008 at 09:33)

I challenge Mr Purnell to drive into Manchester at rush hour, and see first hand what is really causing the congestion. Not the amount of traffic, which has fallen, but the ridiculous road layouts and timing of traffic lights.

Thanx to all those whoo beeped their horns in support of my protest against the charge in Denton this wednesday; Con-charge Capone got a lot of support.

Another point for Mr Purnell to note is that Sir Howard Bernstein has previously said that bus and train fares will have to be increased to pay back the TIF loan.

TIF is a flawed scheme with too many financial black holes that cannot be expained. It is too much of a risk for Tameside and Greater Manchester.

VOTE NO

Tameside Eye - http://tameside-eye.blogspot.com/ (21/11/2008 at 16:48)

"We need billions of pounds to improve these services. We need more carriages and more services. That is why the TIF proposals and the congestion charge are so important."

Except the TIF bid makes no mention of increased capacity or more frequent services in any of their documents. The only "improvement" that Stalybridge Railway Station is going to get is a Park and Ride facility.

Albert J Beancounter, At Home (22/11/2008 at 22:46)

Quote;
"The MP said the journey had hardened his support for the TIF bid"

The train company take these peoples money yet they do not provide a service - in any other business it would not be allowed - here the government alter the figures for overcrowding, from 10 people standing for one hundred seated to 30 standing per hundred seated - Hence overcrowding is not as bad as it was.

Could someone from StalyVegas Email him and ask what improvements "you" in the Bridge are getting out of the TIF bid.

Dennis the Menace, Hyde (23/11/2008 at 02:09)

So ..... James gets a taste of "real life" eh ???, you can bet your bottom dollar that he was not too keen on that !!!!, I'll bet he soon scuttled back off to London, or his leafy home, thinking it was all a bad nightmare !!!!!
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD JAMES !!!!!, thats something you have been shielded from for far too long !!!!
Lets see if your experiences make you do something for your constituents .... and no .... I dont mean bring in the C Charge !!!!!!!

Christine Wise (23/11/2008 at 13:52)

I was on the opposite platform this day, and have travelled into Manchester on the train for over 15 years. Yes the trains are very full, but that particular morning the 8:03 terminated at Stalybridge and 4 carriages of people had to get off and wait for the next train. Your article makes no reference to this, despite Mr Purnell and his entourage must have been aware of it. Generally the trains are reasonable from Stalybridge to Manchester. You might have to stand, but it's its only when there is some failure, as there clearly was that day that things are so bad. What really needs to be addressed on the trains is that fact passengers are never told the real level of delay, particularly from Piccadilly and Victoria. You get told its 5 mins late so you wait, then its 10, by which time you can't get to the other station for the next train, then you miss the next one because your train is now 30 mins late and the one 14 platforms away leaves first. So if Mr Purnell wants a real taste of the train journey try the evenings, preferably from Piccadilly or Oxford Rd. What's needed is more rolling stock at peak times. The trains to Leeds are full when they get to Stalybridge, so you ave to stand, Huddersfield is worse than stalybridge and the same coming back in the evenings. It wouldn't do transpennine to do away with the first class carriages either. They are often 2, taking up more than half a carriage and carrying about 3 people. Some guards are reasonable and if the train is full don't object to people using them, others demand the extra fare or force people into the other over crowded areas.
As for the congestion charge, its just a big rip off. Stalybridge won't benefit, the new car parks will be full of the people who I'm told drive from Huddersfield because its £100 a month cheaper on the train. Stalybridge people who currently park on the side streets will presumably have to pay to park, on top of the train fare, so overall it will cost us more.

()

Report

News