Mayor wins back ‘lifeline’ Fen services after train chiefs cave in

In a surprise U-turn following a meeting with Mayor James Palmer, train operator CrossCountry has announced it is reinstating the stops at Manea and Whittlesea stations which it axed last week.

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough met company bosses on Friday to denounce the cuts CrossCountry had made on the Peterborough-Cambridge line - with devastating impact on children and commuters struggling in the face of Covid to return to classroom and workplace.

Mayor Palmer was quick to contact the rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris to seek help in overturning CrossCountry’s decision to axe stops – and local MPs Steve Barclay and Paul Bristow joined Mayor Palmer’s condemnation of cuts which further downgraded the already sparse service for Fenland passengers.

While he welcomed CrossCountry’s climbdown, Mayor Palmer said he would keep up pressure on the operator to deliver the trains and stops people need. And he warned that it was now up to everybody to protect their existing services and get behind his efforts through the Mayoral Combined Authority to improve them in future.

“I am thankful that Cross Country has stepped up and corrected this dreadful decision. These are lifeline services for Fenland people. They need more, not less of them, and we’ll hold CrossCountry firmly to account that this restitution is genuine and permanent and passengers can rely on them. Their backtracking is welcome but

there must be no backsliding.

“We have long pressed Cross Country to stop at these stations, and I think it is time we start asking the more fundamental question: ‘Can Fenland trust this operator to work with the Combined Authority for the good of the community, work with us to improve services, to help link people to opportunities, and to help them benefit from levelling up?’ The jury’s out, and I’ll be liaising closely with the Department for Transport to ensure CrossCountry starts increasing services as the economy recovers, rather than decreasing them.

“The Mayoral Combined Authority is pouring money into Fenland stations to upgrade them and CrossCountry must be relied on to match our investment by upgrading services, with more frequent trains and more frequent stops.

“But I also urge people to do their own bit to help keep the services running. Show CrossCountry you need and value these stops. Every company is vulnerable post-Covid and public transport must prove its worth if it is to keep going. So please use the trains – don your mask, keep spaced out, but use it or lose it.”

Cross Country has informed Mayor Palmer that the following calls are to be re- started at Manea and Whittlesea from Monday September 21.

Manea station

• 0623 departure towards Peterborough

• 0739 departure towards Cambridge

• 1745 departure towards Cambridge

• 1826 departure towards Peterborough

Whittlesea station

• 0558 departure towards Peterborough

• 0642 departure towards Peterborough

• 0721 departure towards Cambridge

• 0740 departure towards Peterborough

• 1724 departure towards Cambridge