Political Opinion: Ashfield & Mansfield's train services must improve
I have been inundated with emails over the summer from residents raising serious concerns about the reliability of train services on the Robin Hood Line, operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR).
Many people here depend on this trainline every day to commute to work, travel to school or college, attend appointments, to shop, and to visit family and friends.
As the only direct rail connection between Sutton-in-Ashfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Mansfield, Worksop, and Nottingham, the Robin Hood Line is a vital transport link that local residents should be able to rely on with confidence.
Unfortunately, over recent months, that has simply not been the case.
Far too many services have been cancelled at short notice, suffered significant delays, or been replaced by rail replacement bus services that have a much lower capacity than trains, and significantly increase journey times, creating unnecessary inconvenience for paying customers.
The situation has been made even worse by the ongoing strike action by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), following its dispute with EMR that began in April.
Meanwhile, it is the passengers who continue to bear the brunt of the disruption.
In some instances this summer, train services on the Robin Hood Line have been cancelled for almost entire days. That is simply unacceptable. Residents who pay their fares and rely on this service deserve a railway they can depend upon. Ashfield residents are rightly furious.
I have raised the frustrations of local residents with EMR on a number of occasions, and have repeatedly made clear that the current level of service is not good enough.
Despite this, the Robin Hood Line appears to be experiencing disproportionately higher levels of disruption than many other parts of the EMR network.
It is therefore no surprise that many Ashfield residents feel they are being treated as second-class citizens by EMR, as though the needs of our communities are somehow less important than those of passengers elsewhere. That perception is deeply concerning and must be addressed by EMR.
To that end, I have arranged a meeting with EMR to ask for assurance that Ashfield and Mansfield residents will not be seen as dispensable going forwards.
I also plan to once again urge them to take immediate action to improve reliability on the Robin Hood Line, reduce cancellations and delays, and restore the level of service that passengers both expect and deserve.
Our communities rely on this railway, and it is only right that they receive the dependable service they have been paying for.
If you are an Ashfield constituent and have any experiences regarding reliability issues on the Robin Hood Line you would like to share, please do email me at: [email protected]