Council leader urges rethink over cuts to Blackpool's rail services
Avanti West Coast confirmed that it was having to reduce its four daily weekday services to and from Blackpool to just two a day
The leader of Blackpool Council has sent an urgent letter calling for a rethink over cuts to the resort’s vital London rail link.
Councillor Lynn Williams says the move will be detrimental not only to residents but also the town’s businesses which rely on the fuller service – and the town itself.
Her message comes after train operator Avanti West Coast confirmed that it was having to reduce its four daily weekday services to and from Blackpool to just two a day, starting from last week.
The two which have been cut are the 09:39 London to Blackpool North service, and the 12:52 Blackpool North to London service, leaving only the much earlier 05:35 from Blackpool to Euston and the 17:36 from Euston to Blackpool.
The move – part of new timetable changes across the UK – was blasted by commuters but Avanti said the decision lies with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) an independent, non-ministerial government department aimed at protecting rail users and regulating Network Rail.
ORR said the move – to deny access rights for those services – had been recommended by Network Rail who advised that the North West route had become congested, and also pointed to issues with the reliability of the services.
Avanti said it was “disappointed” by the move from ORR.
And Cllr Williams made her feelings clear in the letter to the department.
She wrote: “I am informed that the following Blackpool rail services – the 1252 Blackpool North to London Euston (Monday to Friday) and the 0939 London Euston to Blackpool North (Monday to Friday) are to be withdrawn and wish to protest this in the strongest possible terms.
“This is a step that will negatively affect Blackpool’s delicate economy significantly and damage the Council’s work towards economic diversification.
“Following the North Fylde Line’s electrification, completed early in 2018, the obstacle to working electric trains into Blackpool North was finally removed. After so many years ofappealing for the return of direct London trains to Blackpool, the Council was delighted when then Virgin Trains launched services in addition to its existing 5:30 diesel hauled service.
“Avanti colleagues tell me that ridership on this service into Blackpool has been healthy. Nowthis is once more to be snatched away.
“As a measure of the difficulties Blackpool faces, in maintaining a resort offer competitive withcheap flights and diversifying its economy in a peripheral location on the UK west coast, the recent Index of Multiple Deprivation study found that Blackpool has ten of the 20 mostdeprived areas in England are in Blackpool.
“Despite this, the town continues to pursue a regeneration agenda: recent new attractions include the ShowTown museum, Arc IMax Cinema, together with new hotels including the Holiday Inn adjacent to Blackpool North railway station with its new tram station, connecting to the Pleasure Beach theme park, all seafront hotels and attractions, and Fleetwood and Cleveleys.
“In addition to this we have further plans to develop a £300 million set of new attractions in the town that will have an even wider attraction than we currently have. People should be arriving by rail to enjoy these attractions, which the loss of these direct services between Blackpool and the metropolis will deny.
“I urge you to reconsider the withdrawal of these services, which is a further impediment to Blackpool’s regeneration agenda. Connectivity is particularly vital to an economy like Blackpool’s, important to attracting professionals who could live here, but need rail access to London.”