Our trains are in deep crisis - should the government step in?

Dear readers — another week, another Prime Minister inbound, another glorious edition of The Post. But something we can’t rely on with such unquestioning certainty are our trains. You have probably experienced how bad things have become in recent weeks and months — with lots of services cancelled, journeys to inferior cities like London and Leeds impossible to book online and a feeling that there is a major crisis here that the government simply isn’t talking about. Why have things got so bad? And is nationalisation the answer? We’ll get into those questions below. 

At the weekend we served up a David Lloyd dispatch from Wirral Waters, where jaunty rows of brightly coloured apartment blocks are in the works but issues remain, not least surrounding public transport. He writes: “Peel’s guiding principle, that this development remains open to all and not a gated community, is laudable. But the bigger aim, surely, is how to get people here in the first place?” Responses to the piece meant that, once again, The Post was leading the local conversation on Twitter this weekend. As we should be. 

Last week we sent out two great stories to our paying members. The first was Mollie’s fascinating look at a gang of “balaclava-clad yobs” who were — according to multiple articles in the Echo — wreaking havoc in Liscard. On close inspection, little evidence of the gang has so far emerged. What are we supposed to make of that? Then on Thursday we sent out Jack’s salivating food tour of Lodge Lane. He basically spent two days bouncing between various restaurants on the company card, not a bad assignment.

Coming up: Tomorrow we’re serving up a multi-course menu of cultural goodness, including Sophie’s thoughts on the Turner Prize at the Tate. Then on Thursday Jack will be asking what can be done with Liverpool’s “welcome vista” — the space in front of Lime Street — and why it looks, well, like that? At the weekend we turn our attention to the nitty-gritty of local politics, where the Labour members of West Derby have a decision on their hands…

Open newsroom: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please email editor@livpost.co.uk. We are always happy to speak to people off the record in the first instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity. 

• This week, we’d particularly like to hear from people living in West Derby for their thoughts on the potential deselection of Ian Byrne MP, and whether they believe he deserves to lose his seat.
• We’re also still keen to speak to staff at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital for any thoughts on the move and whether the city finally has the hospital it needs.

Editor’s appeal: Over the past year, The Post has reported on every aspect of the region — holding its authorities and politicians to account — and there are now almost 600 (11 to go!) of you who pay to receive all of our reporting every week. However, our future is not yet secure. We’re aware that times are hard — any kind of support at all is greatly appreciated — but if you can afford a paid membership (it’s £1.34 a week if you pay for a year upfront) we can keep doing in-depth and investigative pieces and expand our team in the new year. If you value The Post and want to help sustain high-quality journalism in Merseyside, please join today.

This week’s weather

This week’s weather forecast is sourced from the Met Office and it’s for Liverpool.

The big story: Two under-performing rail operators, two angry metro mayors

Top line: Faltering rail services are “wreaking havoc” on the economy of the North. There are increased calls for a financial injection from the government to support services affecting Liverpool after high numbers of cancellations, and for the rail operators to be stripped of their franchises. 

Context: On Saturday, rail cancellations left Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham late for a press conference on “rail chaos” (somehow that felt planned…). The metro mayor duo — who posted an image of themselves in a huff on the platform — are lobbying for a cash boost from the government for TransPennine Express (TPE) and Northern. Rotheram said: 

“If this was happening in London or the South East, it would be treated as a national scandal. And let me be clear: we are not being critical of investment in the South, but we are concerned about the lack of investment in the North”.

TPE points to a multiplicity of issues affecting the quality of their service, ranging from “ongoing high levels of train crew sickness, a persisting training backlog as a direct result of Covid, and infrastructure issues outside of TPE's control”. 

Rail strikes through the summer saw high cancellations across all services, but the trend seems to have continued. On a single day (19 October) TPE cancelled 55 trains. Type the words “TransPennine Express” into Twitter and you’ll see just how unpopular they’ve become.

Some data: Figures from the Office of Rail and Road show how both services — TPE and Northern — have performed below the national average in the last quarter for services arriving on time (within a minute of the given time) and services cancelled. 

TransPennine Express:

• On time: 58.4% (national average: 72.6%)
• Cancellations: 5.2% (national average: 3.1%)

Northern:

• On time: 65.5% (national average: 72.6%)
• Cancellations: 3.9% (national average: 3.1%)

A new book called Derailed: How to fix Britain’s Broken Railways by academic Tom Haines-Doran argues that privatisation of the railways in the UK has failed and that rail services should be seen as a public good requiring public subsidy rather than a sector which can turn a profit for operators. Staffing problems are built into the private model that was chosen by the Major government, he writes: 

“Any disruption on the network is compounded by deliberate understaffing by train operating companies, which is an inevitable result of a franchising model where competition between private operators in bidding for franchise contracts rests on each bidder’s confidence in being able to run services with the smallest possible number of staff.” 

Haines-Doran recently discussed another often-maligned operator — Avanti West Coast — with The Guardian and explained how current issues facing services wouldn’t be immediately solved by government help.

“Training drivers takes a long time. Even recruiting drivers from other companies is no quick fix, as it takes months to accumulate ‘route knowledge’, which is vital for safe operation. Whether it’s the government or Avanti running the franchise, it’s going to be months before services are back to [normal]”

Bottom line: It’s hard to deny that the railways — particularly in the North West — are a total and shameful mess. One of the key moments of the Labour Party Conference down at the M&S Bank Arena last month was the backing of rail nationalisation. According to YouGov, roughly 60% of Britons would support this. But as Haines-Doran notes in his book, the chronic under-investment in the network since privatisation will take a very long time to remedy, no matter how the system is run. 

Had an experience on the railways you want to tell us about? Hit reply to this email. Especially if you work for one of the rail operators… 

Your Post briefing

A doctor who was on duty the night Lucy Letby allegedly murdered her first baby has told the jury at her trial that the death was “very unexpected”. It is alleged that Letby killed seven babies and attempted to kill another 10. Paediatric registrar Dr David Harkness described how Child A was a “completely stable, well baby, who had no reason to suddenly deteriorate”. Letby’s defence lawyer, Ben Myers QC, questioned why Harkness had failed to write in his medical notes about “abnormal” coloured patches appearing on the baby’s skin, as he told the court. Letby denies all the charges and the trial is expected to last up to six months.

Dock workers at the Port of Liverpool have again walked out over a pay dispute. 600 Unite members will strike after accusing Peel Ports (who own the dock) of sabotaging a proposed deal at the last minute. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the talks ended “in farce” while David Huck — Peel Ports chief operating officer — said six separate offers of a wage increase had now been turned down. The same dock workers also walked out last month as part of the same dispute.

Wirral-born businessman Drew Cockton — who won a £50,000 investment on Dragon’s Den last year for his scented candle business — has sadly passed away aged 36. Cockton’s career took off in 2017 when he launched the brand and quit his corporate job, going on to create the world’s most expensive candle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Cockton, who was diagnosed as bipolar, was also an LGBTQ+ campaigner and founded the North West LGBTQ+ Business Awards. In a tribute on Facebook his mum Kate said: “Life is never, ever going to be the same again. Rest peacefully darling boy.”

Complete electoral wipeout on Wirral Council for the Conservatives is a possibility at next year’s all-out elections, according to Dr David Jeffery, who lectures politics at the University of Liverpool (and chairs the city’s Conservatives). The Tories are currently the opposition in Wirral, with 24 councillors to Labour’s 26. Last week we reported on the deficit crisis (having rose to nearly £50 million) at the council, and Labour leader Janette Williamson told The Post almost all of their non-statutory services would have to be reviewed if no financial aid came. Jeffery believes that while they might survive where individual Tories are locally popular or seats are determined by single, local issues, the dire state of the party’s national polling will put the vast majority of Conservative councillors at risk. 

Home of the week

Perhaps less appealing as the temperatures plummet, but this four bedroom detached home — located in the coastal village of Hightown near Formby — has beautiful French-style patio doors leading out to a pool. Just in case you can’t be bothered to walk a few hundred yards to the beach. It’s on the market for £675,000.

Post Picks

👩‍🎨 One of several spooky Post Picks this week. Artist Lucy Hutchinson will be using “ritual, digital media and collectivity to conjure the Lancashire witches back to life,” in a performance piece at FACT. Better still, it’s free. 

👻 St James’ cemetery behind Liverpool Cathedral is said to be haunted by many ghosts, not least the limping spectre of William Huskisson MP, who was laid to rest in 1830 after he was run over by George Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive. Interactive Ghost Tours — which cost £10 and last for an hour — promise the use of “different ghost hunting techniques”. Make of that what you will.

📽️ If you prefer your Halloween to be less kids-in-costumes-eating-Cadbury’s and more avant-garde-cinema-beneath-the-stars then head to the Bombed Out Church to watch Robert Eggers surreal 2019 arthouse film The Lighthouse on Saturday night. It’s playing as part of a double bill alongside 1987’s Hellraiser. 

🤸 And one for those of you who aren’t able to get into the Halloween spirit. The World Gymnastics Championships start at the M&S Bank Arena next Saturday, with the very best balance beam-ers and pommel horse-hoppers descending on Liverpool from around the world. The types of event and prices vary, but all the information can be found here.  

Our favourite reads

Four stars out of five from The Guardian for Shakespeare North’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; in which the “spirit of anarchy is still alive,” writes Mark Fisher. The play, which is still running, is the first production at the new theatre in Prescot (tickets here) and employs a modernised take on its source material. In a meta twist, the pre-show announcements reveal half the actors have gone awol and a cancellation is likely, until the head of security gets hauled in at the last minute to play Bottom, one of the Bard’s most famous comic characters. Fisher describes it as a “boisterous and intelligent show that sets the Shakespeare North Playhouse confidently on its way with a declaration of love, transformation and possibility”.

Here’s a relaxing month-old piece also from The Guardian, in which the author walks the length of Anthony Gormley’s Another Place — the 100 cast-iron statues modelled on the 6ft 2 frame of their creator — on Crosby Beach. Gormley’s installation travelled around Norway, Germany and Belgium before settling in Merseyside in 2005. The walk described in the piece is roughly six and a half miles in total and like all good walks, finishes up at the pub, namely The Hightown, a community-focused gastropub with an on-site gin distillery. Why not?

An article from last year in The Face, on Liverpool’s leccy-cum-Banksy-lite Sine Missione, the man who writes anti-establishment sentiments on walls and phone boxes around the city and has become controversial due to his anti-vax and anti-lockdown sentiments. In the words of writer Kieran Morris, he is the embodiment of “the latest incarnation of a Liverpudlian trope nearly half a century in the making: the Cosmic Scally”. Morris tracks down the man himself and they discuss a range of topics; from 9/11 conspiracies to how Missione chooses where to put which quotes: “more bolshy, revolutionary words in poorer parts of the city and more hippydippy quotes in the posher areas”.

Photo of the week

A gallerist poses with Turner Prize shortlisted artist Veronica Ryan's work at Tate Liverpool. The Turner runs from this month until March, and we sent Post culture writer and art aficionado Sophie along at the weekend to take a look. More on that tomorrow. Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP.

Letters from readers

I have lived at East Float Quay for three years, and have a neat one bed apartment on the ground floor, which I rent at a very reasonable rate. I love it!! The new prefab townhouses you mention are indeed, not great, and I would never pay £300k for a home which arrived on a flatbed lorry. The Millars Quay looks promising and I was interested to see the idea of a few shops mentioned — the current Aldi by the way is about 5 minutes' drive away so not so gloomy a picture as painted, ‘£263 million investment and no public transport: will Wirral Waters’ Northbank go nowhere?’, Neil Ray

Excellent read. I was working around the area last week — vibrant and diverse but let down a bit by industrial levels of litter. Maybe a local councillor could provide some grabbers and bin bags and organise a litter pick?, ‘Love Letter to Lodge Lane’, Dave B