Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Jenny Randerson has asked the Government to explain what assessment they have made of the social and economic impacts of disruption to services following the withdrawal of some Hitachi high speed trains from service after defects were discovered.
Following the response by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Baroness Randerson commented: “The Government has underestimated the impact of Hitachi on long suffering passengers and totally failed to address the impact of this disruption on individual passengers and regions.
“There was no answer at all to my suggestion that the Govt should fund a season of promotional cheap fares for the services affected by this disruption. It’s essential at this crucial time as we adjust to fresh ways of working, that everything possible is done to lure us out of our cars and back on to public transport.”