TRANSPORT chiefs have blasted rail operator Northern after dozens of trains were cancelled in the county and beyond between Christmas Eve and December 27.

Members from the sub-national body Transport for the North have said they are deeply concerned about the cancellations, amid “ongoing poor performance” and heavy disruption during the first week of the new timetable.

David Hoggarth, strategic rail director at Transport for the North, said: “It is totally unacceptable that passengers once again do not have a full service they can rely on, especially at this busy time of year.

“We have made our concerns clear to Northern and reiterated that passengers deserve better.

“We will continue to monitor performance over the Christmas break and expect to see comprehensive preparations in place to enable a return to a more reliable and robust service as people go back to work in January.”

The North’s leaders, as part of Transport for the North’s Rail North Committee, are to meet in Leeds on January 8, 2020 to discuss the issues and way forward, and have called for senior leaders from the operator to attend.

They have previously recommended to the Secretary of State that an Operator of Last Resort for the Northern franchise would help restore public confidence.

In a statement, Northern said: “Alongside the annual leave entitlements at this time of the year, we had unprecedented levels of sickness.

“We had some pre-planned cancellations on certain lines.”

Northern Rail runs trains from Hull on the east coast, all the way to Blackpool in the west and serving every major city in between, including Carlisle.