Rail in the UK is a contentious issue, with many northern areas of the country believing that their neck of the woods lacks adequate train connectivity.
It would therefore come as little surprise to readers to learn that the nation's busiest line rail line is found nowhere near northern England. The Elizabeth Line in the capital can carry the most passengers - indeed it carries 700,000 per weekday, according to Transport for London.
The line, opened in May 2022, has been ferrying passengers into central London and through to Heathrow Airport. The plan for the line was floated 23 years ago and took 13 to build from the first spade going into the ground.
Despite it's passenger capacity, speed and the modern feel of the trains, mayor Sadiq Khan had previously branded the line "not good enough" following a slate of techincal failures.
The worst of which saw around 4000 passengers stranded near Ladbroke Grove in December 2023. The Mayor of London allocated almost £140 million to combat the issues on the line, and last month the Government secured 10 new trains from UK firm Alstom.
The Department of Transport said of the move: "The government has today (14 June 2024) confirmed funding for TfL to procure 10 new Elizabeth Line trains from the UK-based train manufacturer, Alstom.
"Following careful consideration of TfL’s business case, the government has approved TfL’s request for funding for the additional trains.
"The trains are needed due to strong passenger demand, expected growth on the Elizabeth Line, and will allow TfL to increase capacity on the network in the coming years."
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In February, this website reported that only one in three trains to Paddington arrive on time.
Marcus Jones, the office's new route director, admitted performance "hasn't been good enough" and that the network has been "consistently letting down customers". He added that they "cannot guarantee a service every day".
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