Labour’s Shadow Rail Minister Stephen Morgan MP visited Ilkley Railway station with Labour’s parliamentary candidate John Grogan. They met representatives of the Friends of Ilkley Rail Station and Northern Trains.
John Grogan commented: ‘Ilkley Railway station has been at the heart of the town since it opened in 1865 . Once again it has over a million passengers a year recovering well from the stark decline during the pandemic.
"It was good to discuss the ambitious plans of the Friends of Ilkley Rail Station as well as hear about Bradford Council’s plans to shift school students from buses to trains.
"On the negative side Ilkley’s rail passengers are facing a double whammy on the first weekend of March . There will be no trains on Friday March 1st because of another strike, it is surely time Ministers get involved to help negotiate a settlement .
Mr Grogan also talked about an increase of £70 on an annual season ticket on Sunday 3rd March, with the cost to Ilkley commuters set to rise from £1432 a year to £ 1502: "Average fares have risen by 66% since 2010, twice as fast as wages. At the same time the Government is stressing the importance of cutting inflation it does not seem right that they are imposing fare increases of this magnitude on hard pressed commuters."
Stephen Morgan said: “It was great to visit Ilkley with John Grogan to see the transport issues facing local people
“Under the Conservatives, we have seen so many broken promises on our railways leading to record cancellations, ongoing strikes and ever-rising fares.
“The next Labour government will call time on the managed decline of our railway by bringing franchises back into public ownership as they expire and creating a passenger-focused railway.
“By working with local leaders and industry experts, the next Labour government will deliver a transformative programme of rail and transport infrastructure across Yorkshire and the north which will be vital for connecting communities and driving economic growth.”