TRAIN OPERATOR Northern has given its justification for cutting train services across the North amid criticism from unions. 

Last week Northern announced that services from Bradford, Wakefield, and Halifax would be cut to one an hour, with Northern promising that these cuts were temporary. 

A spokesperson for Northern said: "We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resources we have available. We have then prioritised the routes with the highest customer demand, which support the region’s economic growth.

"The fact remains that whilst the headline-grabbing elements of the pandemic may have passed, the implications of nearly two years of disruption have not. Our drivers are required to maintain the regular route and train knowledge to be able to operate. We currently have a backlog, and we need to create space to enable drivers to catch up and build on that knowledge.

"We are taking all the necessary steps available to us to rectify these problems. This is in the face of increasing levels of COVID-related sickness absence amongst our operational workforce.

ASLEF, the train drivers union, spoke out criticising Northern and the cuts to services.

Nigel Roebuck, ASLEF’s full-time organiser with responsibility for Northern, said: "We’ve had to leave people on the platform because there isn’t enough room, on some services, for everyone to board our trains. Claiming it’s a “footfall issue” is just an excuse for the company to keep running reduced services. That’s no good for passengers, no good for the railway, and no good for the north.

"Northern is trying to blame a lack of drivers but we know that drivers are available, ready to drive the trains, and provide a proper service for passengers. Platform announcements are blaming “a lack of drivers” and that is simply not the case. Anyway, the company needs to employ enough drivers – and do the proper training so they have route knowledge – to deliver the services it has promised.’

"The suspicion amongst many in the railway industry is that Northern – like TransPennine Express – has been encouraged by the Department for Transport to run fewer services to save a bit of money."

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin spoke out about the train cuts.