Blackpool MP secures urgent meeting with Transport Minister to fight for direct London rail links
An MP has secured an urgent meeting with the rail minister to press the case for restoring direct train services between Blackpool and London.
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb confirmed he will meet Transport Minister Lord Peter Hendy after raising concerns in the House of Commons about the scale of recent cuts to the resort’s rail links.
The meeting follows questions put to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, during transport questions on Thursday (January 8).
Mr Webb told MPs that the loss of direct rail services risked damaging Blackpool’s tourism-based economy and could have a knock-on impact on jobs and visitor numbers in a town already facing significant challenges linked to deprivation.
He said Avanti West Coast had reduced direct weekday services between Blackpool and London by more than 50 per cent, leaving just one direct morning service to the capital and a small number of late-evening return options.
More than half of services cut
Avanti West Coast has confirmed that several weekday direct services between Blackpool North and London Euston have been removed from its timetable, including the 09:39 London to Blackpool service and the 12:52 Blackpool to London train.
The operator has said the reductions were the result of a decision by the Office of Rail and Road not to grant access rights for previously timetabled train paths.
As a result, three out of four weekday direct services were removed, leaving two trains a day: the 05:35 from Blackpool to London Euston and the 17:36 return from Euston to Blackpool.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Webb said reliable transport links were vital to Blackpool’s future prosperity and warned that cutting direct trains was about more than timetables.
He urged the Secretary of State to facilitate a meeting with the rail minister so that solutions could be developed quickly.
Following confirmation of the meeting, Mr Webb said: “Blackpool deserves the same level of connectivity as other major towns and cities.
“Cutting direct trains isn’t just about timetables - it’s about jobs, investment and our future growth.
“I look forward to working constructively with the Minister to bring these services back in line with what our community needs.”