MP has today responded to
Hull Trains’ decision to temporarily suspend all Hull Trains
services from this morning, Monday 30 March.
Hull Trains have taken the decision to temporarily suspend
services due to the significant reduction in passenger numbers
caused by the coronavirus outbreak. This in turn has led to a
reduction in revenue for the company.
Hull Trains is an open-access operator and not a franchised
service. Their business model relies entirely on revenue derived
from ticket sales.
Following the announcement, MP said:
“Hull Trains provide a great service for passengers
travelling between East Yorkshire and London. The company is
consistently at the top of the National Rail Passenger Survey
year after year and had hoped to build on their stellar
reputation with the introduction of their £60 million Paragon
fleet.
While the suspension of services is understandable given the
coronavirus outbreak, it is nonetheless a tragedy for both the
workforce and residents of Hull and East Yorkshire who rely on
the service. It is therefore vital the Government does all it can
to allow Hull Trains to get back up and running as soon as
possible once we are through this epidemic.
I have been in constant contact with Ministers all week about
this issue. I have stressed to the Government the importance of
treating all rail companies fairly and have told the Government I
will be asking the competition authorities to review the
comparative treatment of the open-access operators and the
franchised operators.
The authorities must ensure all railway operators, including
open-access operators like Hull Trains, are treated fairly and
that no improper disadvantage is created due to the coronavirus
epidemic.
It is vital that Hull Trains are kept financially viable for the
time when the crisis abates and we need to reinstate the
brilliant service that they currently provide.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Hull Trains announcement that they will be suspending operations
can be found here: https://www.hulltrains.co.uk/news/2020/hull-trains-temporarily-suspends-all-train-services
Details of the Government’s support package for franchised
railway operators can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-ensures-ticket-refunds-and-protects-services-for-passengers-with-rail-emergency-measures
