Ɖ Gardịn vy on reltravl in ɖ norʈ: tecñ ɖ public fr a rîd
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Guardian on 1 November 2022)
Ɖ cuṛnt dîr pformns v trencumṗniz z part v a historic patn v nglect n unḍinvstmnt in ɖ rījn’z trnsport
Tyzde 1 Nvmbr 2022
“Prṃcrîsis”, ćozn on Tyzde az Colinz Dix́nri’z wrd v ɖ yir, z dfînd bî ɖ publiśr az “an xtndd pirịd v instbiḷti n inṣkṛti”. Ɖr cd b no betr dscripśn v ɖ cuṛnt xpirịns v pasinjrz unforćṇt inuf t b atmtñ reltravl t, fṛm n acrs mć v ɖ norʈ v Ñgḷnd.
Fr munʈs, ɖ horrstoriz v trenz cansld, dleid, truncetd or suḟcetñli oṿcrǎdd hv akḿletd onlîn n amñ wiri travlrz mrūnd on norɖn platformz. Planñ a trip on Avanti’z rdyst wst-cǒst mênlîn srṿsz hz bcm a jrni intu ɖ uņoun – vulnṛbl t lêt dsrupśn n fīndiśli dificlt t bc in advans fr wīcendz. Traṿlñ acrs ɖ Penînz, wɖ TranzPenîn Xpres (TPE) or Norɖn, z a similrli risci biznis. In Octobr, TPE cansld 44 srṿsz in a sngl de. Rùts btwn Prestn n Blacpūl n fṛm Carlîl t Baro-in-Frnis hv at tîmz bn dǎn bî olmst a ʈrd, acordñ t figrz rlist bî ɖ Ofis v Rel n Rod.
Ɖ ic̣nomic n sośl consiqnsz v ɖz dîr levlz v dlivri wr sumd p last wīc bî Stīv Roɖ̇rm, ɖ metromẹr v ɖ Liṿpul-siti rījn. “Ẃrvr y g in ɖ norʈ,” Mr Roɖ̇rm sd, “ɖ stori z ɖ sem: rjnt apôntmnts míst, lêt arîvl at wrc n scūl, cut of fṛm vîtl public srṿsz, îṣletd fṛm frendz n faṃliz.” Ic̣nomicli, ɖ rījn z biyñ hld bac bî ɖ ceos az ɖ norʈ-wst in ptiklr bcmz a twîlîtzon v travljeṗdi. Invîṛnmnṭli, ol ɖ roñ meṣjz r biyñ snt az ppl opt fr ɖ car instd.
Ɖ tren-oṗretñ cumṗniz cnsrnd pônt t srcmstansz bynd ɖer cntrol. An akt śortij v drîvrz, fr xampl, hz arizn partli az a rzult v a Covid-rletd trenñbaclog. Bt ɖ mor funḍmntl factr in ɖ stafñcrîsis apirz t b a brocn rleśnśp btwn a profit-drivn manijmnt n drîvrz rlaid upn t d oṿtîm t cīp ɖ trenz runñ. Amd a wîdr cost-cutñ drîv ɖt hz léd t ɖ ongwñ RMT strîcs, ɖe hv optd nt t d so. Agresiv anti-yńn reṭric fṛm ɖ guvnmnt hz frɖr cntribytd t lo stāfmrāl n an absns v gdwil. In starc contrast, LNER, ɖ stet-run oṗretr v ɖ īst-cǒst mênlîn, hz run a norml tîmtebl sins last Febrri.
Az ɖ numbr v cmplents sōrz twdz record levlz, ɖr z ɖ sns v a tipñpônt biyñ rīćt. Fr tù mni yirz, norɖn-rel yzrz hv bn sbjctd t levlz v unḍinvstmnt n śodi srvis ɖt wd hv bn jujd intolṛbl in Lundn n ɖ sǎʈ-īst. Ɖr wz wîdspred rzntmnt at ɖ guvnmnt’s dsiźn last yir t cansl ɖ īstn leg v HS2 t Yorx́r n dić planz fr a ny hî-spīd lîn btwn Manćestr n Lìdz, via Bradḟd. Coments at ɖ wīcend bî ɖ ri’pôntd secṛtri v stet fr leṿlñ p, Mîcl Gov, apird t hint ɖt ɖ Brmñm t Manćestr leg v HS2 cd olso b sacṛfîst, az part v lūmñ guvnmnt bujitcuts. Ɖ “norɖn pǎrhǎs” reṭric wɖ ẃć s’xesiv Cnsrṿtiv admiṇstreśnz hv cortd votrz hz pruvd spectaklrli holo.
Fîv v ɖ norʈ’z six metromẹrz hv jôntli cōld on Riśi Sŭnac’z guvnmnt t inṭvin t adres ɖ sirịs damij biyñ dn bî ɖ cuṛnt crîsis. Gretr Manćestr’z mẹr, Andi Brnm, hz dmandd a rtrn v ɖ rel inḍstri t public ǒnrśp n ɖ dīṿluśn v pǎrz t run it t ɖ rījnz. Aftr so mni brocn proṃsz md t ɖ norʈ, ɖs wd b an aproć ɖt cd start t adres historic nglect, targit locl nīdz, rper industrịl rleśnz n ofr acǎntbiḷti. Sadli, wɖt an ilex́n n a ćenj v guvnmnt, norɖn relyzrz wl olmst srtnli cntiny t travl in hop rɖr ɖn xpcteśn.
