Anger as Government refuses to intervene to force LNER to continue direct Sunderland to London services

Government Transport ministers have refused to step-in to force publicly-run LNER to continue to provide direct trains between Sunderland and London beyond December, prompting anger from city councillors.

Liberal Democrat councillors on Wearside have hit out and said Labour “couldn’t care less” about the city after the Government said no to a request for publicly-run rail operator LNER to keep running direct Sunderland to London services when they stop on 13 December.

Opposition Sunderland city councillors took their bid to keep the services running to Parliament, where Lib Dem member of the House of Lords John Shipley asked Transport Minister Peter Hendy if they would require LNER to keep running direct trains between Sunderland and London.

Responding, the Transport Minister said that the Government have “no plans” to require LNER to keep running the services beyond December 2024.

Commenting, Lib Dem councillor and leader of the Opposition on Sunderland City Council Councillor Paul Edgeworth said:

"This is a slap in the face from a Government who couldn’t care less about Sunderland.

“Despite nationalising the railways and despite LNER already being a publicly-run company this Government can’t even be bothered to use their power to require LNER to keep running direct services between Sunderland and London.

“These are desperately needed at a time when Grand Central trains are totally unreliable and are constantly cancelled or breaking down leaving people stranded. We need more LNER trains to and from Sunderland at a range of times during the day, not axing the limited services we already have.

“Labour ministers really need to do the decent thing, stop taking people in Sunderland for granted, think again and force LNER to keep running direct services between London and Wearside.”