MP blows whistle on ‘sardine train’
Apr 11 2008 The Journal
AN MP has called a meeting to discuss rail travel in his constituency after continuing reports of misery on the region’s “sardine train”.
Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham, will host a public meeting in Chester-le-Street on Monday, amid what he calls “ongoing frustration” for local rail passengers.
Rail travel to and from Chester-le-Street came under the spotlight last year after pressure group Transport 2000 described the morning service from Durham to Newcastle, calling at the town, as the “sardine train”, because passengers were crammed so tightly together.
The meeting will also be attended by senior representatives of three rail companies serving Chester-le-Street - CrossCountry, Northern Rail and Transpennine Express - and representatives from Durham County Council, which has local responsibility for public transport, will also be present.
Residents have complained that services stopping at Chester-le-Street, especially during morning rush hour, are often so full that passengers waiting at the town’s station – the last stop on the northbound East Coast Main Line before Newcastle - are unable to board.
Even when they can get onto the train, finding a seat can be impossible.
Mr Jones said: “I held two well-attended public meetings last year on this issue, and in the months since I have met with the Rail Minister a number of times.
“There has been progress, but there are still serious problems.”
At a meeting hosted by Mr Jones last August, commuters described their journey travelling on the “Saltburn rattler” – the Northern Rail service through Chester-le-Street which terminates at Saltburn, Teesside.
Solicitor Nicola Spain, of Riverside, Chester-le-Street, who attended last August’s meeting, and who commutes daily to work in Newcastle with her children David and Charlotte, who attend Dame Allan’s school in Fenham, told the MP: “It is a miserable journey every day. The trains are crowded and you feel catastrophic.
“Sometimes you are left standing on the platform at Chester-le-Street because the train is too crowded to get on.”
Mr Jones was also told that fare-dodging was rife in Chester-le-Street, with trains so packed that train staff found it impossible to check tickets.
The meeting will take place at the Parish Centre on Church Chare, Chester-le-Street, on Monday, starting at 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome.
