Attended DfT consultation on new CrossCountry franchise at York today. SENRUG’s input was that a) the franchise specification for smaller stations such as Morpeth needs to be co-ordinated with that of the East Coast franchise to ensure that services are evenly spaced throughout the day, b) the new franchisee must be given a means to procure more rolling stock, and c) DfT must instruct Network Rail to lift its blockade that prevents CrossCountry and other operators running Saturday southbound services from Edinburgh after 20:00.
