Commuters urged to flood TV and radio phone-ins after transport secretary’s cancellation of rail electrification upgrades in the northA day of moaning has been declared across the north of England, with public transport users encouraged to let rip about their terrible journeys. The event was called after the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, indicated his support for Crossrail 2, a £30bn train line across London, days after cancelling electrification projects to northern rail lines. Luke Raikes, senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: “The government still hasn’t engaged with the north seriously over this issue. Last week it was announced that rail fares for commuters in England and Wales would increase by 3.6% from next year. “I travel to Leeds quite a lot, so when I go over to Leeds it’s a Northern [service] that is just gross.

Source: The Guardian August 21, 2017 05:00 UTC