Commuters in Harrogate have reacted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pledge to ‘build better railways’. 

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, in his first Budget announcement, made the pledge to spend billions of pounds on road and rail projects as part of a proposed £600 billion infrastructure programme. 

Although there was no specific announcement yesterday as to where the money will be spent, long-suffering passengers at Harrogate Railway Station were clear about where they feel the government should prioritise.

Jerome Morrow (pictured above) who regularly travels between Harrogate and Leeds, said

 “The trains themselves have improved, but too few carriages are put on and at peak times that leads to overcrowding and an uncomfortable journey.  

“Compared with London, we have a lot of catching up to do in the north. We are paying the same fares for an inferior service and investment should be made in the provision of more carriages.” 

York University sociology student Kate McWhirter

For York University sociology student, Kate McWhirter, who was in Harrogate to meet friends, the issue is lack of communication:

 “On four separate occasions recently, I was waiting for trains that were suddenly cancelled with no reason given for the cancellation and left wondering if the ticket I had was valid on another train. They need to spend the money on better communications.” 

The Harrogate line has recently had national attention with the Sunday Times reporting at the weekend that the 07:13 Harrogate to Leeds service being “the most cancelled in the UK”.  Northern Rail, which had operated the line, lost its franchise at the beginning of this month and the service is now in government control.