Offer could scupper Hexham rail hopes

Passenger groups have called the decision "woeful", while Nexus has branded it "an inadequate response to the transport needs of the area". Rail routes run by Northern Rail from Newcastle suffer from chronic overcrowding at peak times and have been the subject of numerous passenger campaigns.

Nexus and other transport operators in the North of England have been in discussions with the DfT over the number of new trains needed to meet overcrowding on Northern Rail services. They were looking for a total of 182 extra trains to split between Northern Rail services running out of Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool, which the DfT itself had admitted were needed in its High Level Output Specification (HLOS) plan update in July 2008.

But since then the DfT has backed down, claiming only 106 new trains would be needed to make sure no service exceeds 100% capacity, defined as having all seats occupied, with some passengers standing.

This was despite the East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Study, published last year by Network Rail, which found nine additional carriages, comprising three or more trains, were needed in the North East to meet predicted growth in demand for peak-time services before 2016. A report to the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority, by Nexus' director general Bernard Garner, says: "A proposed reduction of this scale in the level of additional resources will have serious implications for improvements to local rail services, both in terms of the ability to reduce current overcrowding and the potential for new services along existing or new routes.

"The proposed extra resource for the Tyne and Wear area is one Class 142 pacer train. While any extra resource is welcome, members may consider this an inadequate response to the transport needs of the area." Last night Mr Garner told The Journal: "On current trends we believe growth will be stronger than the DfT predicts and we will need more trains.

"We see it as being the start of the process and we will be going back to make representations to get this figure reviewed. The rail industry has done a lot to improve the quality of the service that it provides to passengers and we want to see that continue."

Ian Walker, chairman of passenger campaign group Railfuture North East, said: "We would be very disappointed if that's all they come up with, it's woeful.

"We think Northern has done a very good job of promoting rail travel and increasing passenger numbers and we feel the North East warrants more coaches - the south has certainly got them. If we want to get more people into the rail network we have to give them a good service that they want to use."

Nexus bosses also think this proposal could scupper any possibility of reopening former passenger rail corridors, such as the Leamside and Ashington, Blyth and Tyne lines.

A DfT spokesman said: "We are working with Northern Rail to find a solution to increase capacity which will be affordable, and give value for money, and we shall be making announcements in due course."

In Greater Manchester the allocation was originally 42 but this was reduced to 24.

The DfT and Northern Rail said they were unable to release other figures.

A Northern Rail spokeswoman said: "We are in discussions with the Department for Transport on the allocation of new and cascaded vehicles to Northern.

"These talks are continuing and no final decision has been made."