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MP questions why Scottish weather halts trains at Preston

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 07:26 · Archive

A Cumbrian MP has questioned why West Coast Main Line trains terminate at Preston during bad weather in Scotland rather than continuing to Penrith and Carlisle.

Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, raised the issue in the House of Commons, questioning why bad weather in Scotland can result in West Coast Main Line trains terminating at Preston rather than continuing to Penrith and Carlisle.

Mr Campbell-Savours highlighted the disruption caused when services heading north are stopped almost an hour away from Penrith and even further from Carlisle. He asked the Government to approach Avanti West Coast and Network Rail about the practice and investigate whether more trains could continue further north during disruption.

'In Cumbria, we fully appreciate how disruptive bad weather can be, and we have quite a lot of experience of it, but we do not appreciate why bad weather in Scotland can mean that trains heading north on the west coast main line terminate in Preston, which is nearly an hour away from Penrith and even further away from Carlisle,' Mr Campbell-Savours said. 'Will the Minister commit to writing to Avanti and Network Rail to determine why that is and consider solutions that might get my constituents home a bit quicker?'

Transport minister Simon Lightwood acknowledged that he did not know why services were terminated at Preston rather than continuing into Cumbria. He said: 'My hon. Friend raises a really interesting question. I do not know the answer, but I will make sure I speak to the Rail Minister and see what answers we can get for my hon. Friend.'

During disruption north of the border, Preston can be used as a point at which long-distance services are terminated and turned around. While Carlisle may remain accessible, continuing trains further north can leave services, rolling stock and crews farther away from where they are needed if the route into Scotland is blocked.

MP questions why Scottish weather halts trains at Preston
Image: Cumberland News

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How it is being reported

In this story: Markus Campbell-Savours · Simon Lightwood · Avanti West Coast · Network Rail · Preston · Penrith · Carlisle · Scotland

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log