More frequent Whitby train services under consideration, Government says
Whitby Railway Station Platforms, Andy Burnham. Courtesy Northern/House Of Commons
THE Government has responded after Andy Burnham was challenged to travel from Manchester to Whitby and back by train in a row about poor rail connectivity.
In a debate over poor rail and bus links to the North Yorkshire coast, Andy Burnham was set a challenge of trying to get from Number 10 North in Manchester to Whitby and back in a day using just trains. Due to poor connectivity, the journey would take more than five hours each way.
In response, a Government spokesperson said work was underway to explore more frequent Middlesbrough to Whitby services and highlighted a £45 billion commitment to “deliver the biggest upgrade to the north’s railway services in a generation”
The importance of good rail links to employment and economic development was highlighted by Whitby councillor Phil Trumper last week, who asked: “What is the King of the North, based in Manchester, doing to improve transport on the coast
“I would invite the new prime minister to travel from Manchester to Whitby by rail and see if he gets there at a suitable time and then get back to Manchester on the same day.”
Travelling by rail from Number 10 North to Whitby would be an 11-hour round trip journey for the prime minister, barring delays or missed connections, according to Google Maps.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We’re working with regional leaders to explore more frequent Middlesbrough to Whitby services while investing £11 billion to improve journey times across the Pennines, as well as scoping out wider connections between major northern cities including York and Manchester, through Northern Powerhouse Rail.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), they added: “This £45 billion commitment will deliver the biggest upgrade to the north’s railway services in a generation and provide better access to the opportunities that drive growth, get people working, and put more money in families’ pockets.”
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David Skaith, the elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said he was “always working on how we can improve people’s transport across the county and obviously, rail is a major part of that.”
Whitby Railway Station. Google Maps
He told the meeting of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee last week: “We’ve pushed hard on improving the connectivity between York and Scarborough already, which will come in time.
“We always want to improve rail and our bus connectivity because that is the most sustainable and still affordable way for most people to travel around the region.”
Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said she was “tearing my hair out” over the slow pace of rail improvements.
Ms Hume said: “I’m afraid I haven’t managed to land any kind of rail improvement from Sleights to Whitby, even though I promised that as a candidate. So, I’m tearing my hair out.
“Bus improvements will be coming, and I’m working tirelessly behind the scenes on improving the train services from Scarborough to York and Whitby to Middlesbrough.”
David Skaith At Scarborough Station. Courtesy Anttoni James Numminen, Ldrs.
A half-hourly train service between York and Scarborough will start from December 2028.
However, the Labour mayor also tempered expectations, telling councillors: “We’re always working with Government on how we can get more investment into rail in particular, but these kinds of things are incredibly expensive.”