THERE was no surprise among rail users last weekend as yet another series of cancellations hit the troubled Northern Rail services operating across the county.

On Saturday alone, six services running between Barrow, Carlisle and Windermere were cancelled, not to mention the number of services which were amended due to "unavailable" crew members.

As many angry commuters and passengers took to social media to vent their frustrations, Tony Parker, the honorary secretary of the Furness Line Association Group, (FLAG) carefully recorded all the data in the hopes of highlighting the sheer disruption caused over the past two weekends on a service he calls "diabolical."

Mr Parker also raised concerns over Northern Rail's £1 billion investment to North West services which so far, have seen new ticket gates installed at Barrow station, to help ease congestion and modernise services.

He said: "On Saturday afternoon I arrived at Barrow at 13:25 from Arnside.

"At 13:27 a train from Carlisle arrived and at 13:33 a train to Manchester Airport was due to depart, there was only one window of the ticket office open and it was absolute pandemonium.

"I have never ever seen so many people trying to get off the platform and onto the platform at the same time and they were all being held up by the "avoid congestion" barriers.

"It was a bit like the "crush hours" at Manchester Piccadilly and the London commuter stations."

Shambolic Saturdays:

Cancellations on Saturday, September 23 "due to a member of train crew being unavailable".

-The 11:38 from Barrow to Carlisle

-The 15:25 Barrow to Preston

-The 15:46 from Preston to Barrow

-The 17:20 from Barrow to Windermere

-The 20:45 Windermere to Lancaster

-The 23:14 Lancaster to Barrow

Cancellations and amendments on Saturday, September 16 "due to a member of train crew being unavailable".

-The 15:46 Preston to Barrow (initially delayed until 17:05) cancelled.

-The 17:32 Barrow to Carlisle due 20:29

-The 14:33 Carlisle to Barrow due 17:23 was terminated at Workington.

-The 17:20 Barrow to Windermere was started from Lancaster.

Tim Farron joins the debate:

A SOUTH Lakes MP has demanded new trains after mass delays across the area continue to cause misery for rail users.

Tim Farron has written to the transport secretary and asked for proper, substantial investment from the government in the area's transport links after a Freedom of Information request by his office revealed over a quarter of trains on the Lakes Line arrived late at their final destination since April.

The Mail previously published data which showed the extent of train cancellations across Furness especially on weekends, in what rail users dubbed "Shambolic Saturdays."

Mr Farron said: “These woeful figures are yet another kick in the teeth for commuters in South Cumbria.

"The decision to shelve the electrification of the Lakes Line, mass cancellations on the Furness Line, and now huge delays on the Windermere Line, are all proof that this Conservative Government don’t really care about rail users in the South Lakes.

“I’ve written to the Transport Secretary demanding this area’s railways be given proper investment, starting with upgrading the trains on the Windermere and Furness Lines.”

In the letter to Chris Grayling, the South Lakes MP called for the current trains on the Windermere and Furness Lines to be upgraded after the government downgraded the Class 185 trains to the much older and smaller Class 156 trains back in April.

A breakdown of Tim Farron's FOI results:

Year

Number of cancellations (number of trains run in brackets)

Number of station calls at Oxenholme/Windermere where the train was late (station stops in brackets)

2012/13

48 (11548)

6956 (22976)

2013/14

153 (11371)

7220 (22407)

2014/15

68 (11448)

7996 (22669)

2015/16

169 (11454)

8070 (22434)

2016/17

204 (11162)

6518 (21864)

2017 (to date:25/08/17)

62 (4480)

2299 (8829)

Industrial action:

Industrial action will cause a number of delays and cancellations when rail workers walk out as two days of strikes are held.

RMT announced the first day of action is to take place on Tuesday, October 3 and then again on Thursday, October 5.

Commuters and rail users have been told to expect disruption to normal services, with a significant number of trains to operate on a reduced service alongside replacement buses.

In a statement on their website, Northern said: "The majority of available trains will operate between 7am and 7pm, with services on some routes finishing earlier.

"During these hours the overall number of trains running will be significantly reduced.

"We expect trains and any replacement buses we operate will be extremely busy.

"Please allow extra time for journeys, plan carefully and consider whether travel is necessary."

What is the strike about?

The RMT trade union is currently in dispute with Northern (Arriva Rail North) over proposed changes to the role of the conductor and push towards driver-only trains.

What are my rights?

You can claim compensation if you experience a delay of 30 minutes and over.

Here is the breakdown of delays:

30-59 minutes: Compensation of one single ticket to anywhere on the Northern network or 50 per cent of the cost of your single ticket or relevant portion of your return ticket.

60-119 minutes: Compensation of two single tickets to anywhere on the Northern network or 100 per cent of the cost of your single ticket or relevant portion of your return ticket.

Delay of more than 120 minutes: Compensation of two return tickets to anywhere on the Northern network or 100 per cent of the cost of your ticket (single or return)

You will need to keep hold of your ticket and send a scan or photo of it to make your claim.

How do I claim?

Visit the Delay Repay page on Northern's website, or ask for a Delay Repay form at any staffed station.

If you have a season ticket and decided not to travel, you can also claim compensation through the Delay Repay scheme.

If you have an advance purchase ticket for travel on a strike day, you can claim a refund at the point of purchase.

Contact northernrailway.co.uk/industrialaction

or call 0800 200 60 60