Petition Improve Rail Services across the North

The present complement of TransPennine Express (TPE) trains is the minimum needed to meet the demand for fast services between the major cities of the North and Southern Scotland. The nine trains designated for Chiltern are desperately needed in the North.

Any reduction in TPE capability would increase loadings on Northern Rail services. Northern is also expected to provide services on a newly available route despite the chronic shortage of stock which has led to short formed trains and severe, possibly dangerous, overcrowding on many routes.

I ask the government to

reverse the decision to transfer rolling stock to Chiltern

and

expedite the transfer of at least fifteen 4 car electric trains to Northern by the end of 2014 to fully cover all existing diagrams on three newly electrified routes radiating from Liverpool and allow Northern to redeploy the displaced diesel units to enable maximum benefit to be obtained from progressive electrification.