10:54am Saturday 15th November 2008
I recently moved to Harrogate, but still have work commitments in York, so I am now a regular user of the Northern Rail train between the two.
The service is incredibly bad and is costing me money and business during a recession. For example, a recent train home was 15 minutes late (it’s a 30-minute journey).
It might not sound like much but I work long hours and get home late (after 10pm) so it eats into what little free time I have in the evening.
The train the following morning was 18 minutes late, which caused me to miss a meeting, which cost me £39. These are not isolated examples. The worst was when the train was 45 minutes late and I didn’t get home until 11pm. This is all in less than a month.
If you email Northern Rail, you get an automated reply saying they will respond within “20 days” – I’ve never known such poor customer service.
Also, the information screens at Harrogate Station don’t work (the station is operated by Northern Rail.) So you can’t tell if a train is going to be late. Finally, the trains are old and rickety and filthy.
I assume Northern Rail gets a massive subsidy from the taxpayer. Exactly what are we paying for?
Matthew Handy, Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate.
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