Grand Central bosses must come clean over constant cancellations to Sunderland trains

Lib Dem councillors on Wearside are urging rail company bosses to urgently improve reliability of Sunderland to London train services which have been plagued by daily cancellations for months.

Opposition Lib Dem councillors in Sunderland have written to Grand Central, which provides direct services between Sunderland and London Kings Cross, urging them to take urgent action to improve the reliability of their services.

It comes after passengers have reported regular short-notice cancellations to services for months, leading to missed appointments and connections – and people starting to losing trust that services can be relied upon.

Leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats on Sunderland City Council Paul Edgeworth said: 

"Grand Central bosses need to come clean and give people answers about what's going on and when these persistent cancellations are going to become a thing of the past.

"Until that time we risk seeing people choosing to travel with other train companies from Newcastle. Not only is this more inconvenient for passengers, it risks the viability of our city's direct rail links with London if people stop using them because they can't be relied on.

"We all want Grand Central to succeed because having these direct services is vital for the city's economy and for attracting new jobs and investment - but passengers need certainty that services can be relied upon to turn up and get people to and from London on time."