Report highly critical of DfT

[Senex]

What on earth are you talking about? There are still two TransPennine services an hour from Manchester to Liverpool and they are faster than before. There will be two other semi-fast services per hour too. Seems like just the thing for me, someone who regularly travels to Liverpool from Greater Manchester. I'm not sure what else could be provided.

Faster than before? It looks as if 33 minutes (with a best of 32 minutes) is turning into 35 or 36 minutes with a best of 34. Slower, and not even a 60-mph average between the two cities.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Didn’t the original franchising directior let about half a dozen franchisees in around a year

Yep.

Connex failed, North Western Trains failed, Northern Spirit failed, Thames Turbos failed, SWT almost failed having fired all the drivers, Silverlink was a disaster zone...

And that's before we consider just what low values were obtained for the franchises, because they didn't understand the value of the businesses they were doling out.

You were saying?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Any service that is two trains an hour this month and two a day from next month is a shambles - and a slap in the face to established traffic flows.

Huh? There are now 2tph to Liverpool- it only used to be one- 4tph to Piccadilly and 6tph into Manchester.