03 February 2009
Our Reference NR/62887
Dear Ms Dean
Thank you for your e-mail, “Train Diary of a Disgruntled Northern Rail Commuter!” which I received recently.
We have a dedicated team that monitors the performance of all our train services, looking for patterns and then identifying solutions. Our performance department receives regular reports containing details of passenger feedback. I would therefore like to thank you for letting us know how you feel we are doing.
We are aware that a large proportion of our trains are very busy during the peak periods and that a large number of passengers regularly stand during their journeys to and from work. With every available train in use each morning and evening I hope you will appreciate that there are limitations to what capacity enhancements we can make with our current fleet of trains.
Our fleet of trains is fully allocated each day and there is only a very small degree of flexibility available should units become unavailable due to repairs or maintenance. In such circumstances the reduction of capacity on some services is unavoidable, though I can assure you that we will try to make sure that we do not cancel services outright whenever possible. This is why we will use a smaller train than usual for your journey.
You may not be aware that our services were temporarily suspended on the 27th January due to a report that a trespasser had sadly died, after being struck by a passing train. Although we understand the disruption this type of incident causes, we will always hold our rail services to allow the Police access to the railway to make the necessary investigations.
Thank you again for taking the trouble to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Philip Mills
Customer Relations Officer
Northern Rail Limited
PO Box 208
Leeds
LS1 2BU
Tel 0845 00 00 125
Fax 0113 2479 059
http://www.northernrail.org
