Northumberland MP raises concerns over proposed cuts to train services with rail chief

Anne-Marie Trevelyan pictured outside Berwick Railway Station last month.Anne-Marie Trevelyan pictured outside Berwick Railway Station last month.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan pictured outside Berwick Railway Station last month.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan has met with David Horne, managing director of LNER, today to express her concerns at the proposed changes to the rail network in Northumberland.

A proposed new timetable from May 2022 would, for example, see cuts to the number of LNER trains calling at Morpeth Railway Station and the withdrawal of the TransPennine Express service.

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The MP for the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency, who also met Northumberland rail user group SENRUG last week, told Mr Horne that passengers in Berwick, Alnmouth and Morpeth and the surrounding communities rely on rail connectivity, and cutting existing services would be short-sighted.

She said: “I was very clear to Mr Horne that our communities are vibrant, growing and reliant on good rail connections and should not be sacrificed in order to achieve slightly faster journey times between Edinburgh and London.

“Our rail services are not simply for city to city travel, but for local connections too. I will continue to campaign to preserve them.

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“I was also concerned that the wording of the consultation makes it seem as if the proposals are a ‘done deal’. I was glad Mr Horne took the opportunity to assure me that was not the case.

“He also told me that one of the strongest responses LNER has received to its timetable consultation so far has been from Berwick and Morpeth, so the message is starting to get through.

“I would encourage anyone who has not yet taken part in the consultation to do so, to let LNER know the strength of feeling on this issue.”

The timetable consultation closes on August 5. Go to https://lner.citizenspace.com/stakeholder-engagement/northumberland to have your say.