MPs demand Northern plan over 'poor performance'
BBCLabour MPs in Cumbria have demanded that Northern deliver a recovery plan after "months of poor performance".
A meeting heard how some residents were "considering moving house or changing jobs" due to the severe disruption caused after the Bransty tunnel between Whitehaven and Corkickle was shut in July.
Four Cumbrian MPs said it was "hitting constituents hard" and asked Northern to provide an action plan detailing improvements by the end of the month.
Northern Trains said the Bransty tunnel closure had meant a revised service was running over two sections, causing a "number of issues" but added it was "working hard to address" them.
The Bransty tunnel will remain closed until spring 2026 after engineers found its floor needed "significant reinforcement" in July.
Cumbrian MPs Michelle Scroham, Josh MacAlister, Julie Minns and Markus Campbull-Savours spoke together at a meeting, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Businesses losing out
In a joint statement, they said: "While we recognise Northern faces challenges due to the Bransty Tunnel closure, current action is not enough to address very poor performance.
"This disruption is hitting our constituents hard.
"People are missing work, education and training, businesses are losing customers and some residents are considering moving house or changing jobs.
"We have asked Northern to provide a written action plan by the end of the month, detailing how they will improve the situation beyond current measures."
Pressure from the MPs did secure from some improvements such as timetabling changes, better replacement bus services and additional support at affected stations in August.
Network RailA spokesperson for Northern said: "The Bransty Tunnel closure means we are having to run a revised service over two sections, rather than the whole route."
"This created a number of issues which prevented us from running a reliable service, but we are working hard to address them."
The operator said it had altered the timetable and timings of some rail replacement services and made changes to ensure Class 156 trains are again used to operate the majority of services.
Northern said the closure had "previously forced us to use different types of trains, which some members of train crew are not trained to operate".
It said it had since postponed all non-essential training over the festive period.
