Esther McVey 'forced to sit in luggage rack' for train journey

A Conservative former minister claimed she crammed herself into a luggage rack to sit down on a packed train journey between her constituency and London.

Tatton MP Esther McVey told the Commons that her local Avanti train service had gone “shockingly downhill” in the last few years.

Ms McVey said: “The train service between Wilmslow and London on that Manchester to London line used to be hourly, direct and took an hour and 50 minutes.

“Since the pandemic, the rise in industrial action and the start of Avanti operating the line, the service has gone shockingly downhill, ending now in the substandard service that we have today.”

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She claimed a rail traveller had recently “caused a Twitter storm by posting up a picture of her child she had stuffed in a luggage rack”, adding: “I sympathised, for I had done exactly the same thing, only it wasn’t a child I stuffed in the luggage rack. It was me for the full two-hour journey.”

Ms McVey added: “That was because several trains had had to crush into one, most people were standing but fortunately I managed to squeeze, and I say fortunately ironically, into the travel rack, and sat there for the full journey.”

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Rail travellers have faced months of disruption in the north of England and other areas of the UK which are served by the Avanti line.

In August, the train operator slashed its timetable and suspended advanced ticket operations due to a shortage of drivers agreeing to work overtime.

Some Tory MPs, as well as Labour, city mayors and the RMT union, have called on the government to withdraw Avanti’s contract.

Avanti runs routes connecting London to major cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, but local leaders say the areas are being “cut off” due to its poor performance.

The rail operator’s contract was renewed by the government in the autumn, with a warning that the service must “dramatically” improve.

Ms McVey also called on the government to scrap HS2 – the multibillion-pound project aimed at improving connections – and to spend the money on restoring existing rail services.

The senior Tory said the travelling public “are being taken as fools” as she described frequent delays and random cancellations on her regular commute.

“We no longer have a rail service, it’s a rail sufferance,” she said.

‘Miserable experience’

Many Avanti workers are taking part in ongoing rail strikes to demand better pay and working conditions.

Several Tories described nightmare commutes as MPs debated the state of rail services on the West Coast Mainline.

Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North Ben Everitt described how his commute into London was usually a “pretty miserable experience”, adding: “Apart from actually a few weeks ago, where I was indeed sat in what is probably my usual spot just outside the toilet on the floor and I was joined by a bunch of lasses from Milton Keynes who were going to a Halloween party and they managed to strike up some conversation and they were good enough to share their cider.

“I had a nice journey down and I arrived in London with a temporary tattoo, which is gone now. But we shouldn’t rely on generosity and community spirit to take the misery out of these journeys.”

And Tory MP David Jones, who represents Clwyd West, told the Commons: “I think that the government at the earliest possible moment should remove the franchise from Avanti and seek a new operator for the West Coast Mainline.

“They have had their chance, they have failed, and there is no reason why passengers in north Wales or indeed in any other part of the country should be expected to continue to endure the consequences of Avanti’s sheer incompetence.”

Transport minister Huw Merriman acknowledged passengers on the West Coast Main Line have had a “torrid time”.

He went on: “We owe it to these passengers to deliver a vastly improved service. The additional drivers, the move away from voluntary working and the new timetable affords the opportunity to turn matters around.

“I am determined to play my part. I expect Avanti, the unions and everyone connected to join with me and ensure that this line delivers once again.”

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