TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling had been reassured by experts and advisors right up until the last minute that the new train time tables would run smoothly, he says

Chris Green, MP for Bolton West and Parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport, said that until days before the implementation on May 20 the advice was that all would be fine barring a few ‘hitches’.

Mr Green, who had just attended a debate in Westminster Hall about Northern Rail services in Greater Manchester lead by Bolton North East MP Sir David Crausby, said: “This is the number one priority for Chris Grayling to resolve — working with Transport for the North, Northern and Network Rail to get these problems resolved as soon as possible.”

He said: “The Secretary of State takes advice from experts from across the board they were all assuring him until a few days before the time table change that everything was proceeding to happen there maybe a few hitches but until almost the last minute they didn’t highlight the problems we are seeing now.”

Mr Green was adamant that the government was doing all it could to deliver the best for the north, when asked about whether Westminster had forgotten the north he said: “The media to some extent have been ignoring the North but I know that the transport team is spending a huge amount of time and effort trying to fix the problems in and around Greater Manchester.”

He added: “This work ought to have been done a long time ago and this government is committed to making sure this is resolved.”

He went onto add that though the problems may seem regional, rail problems are felt across the country saying MPs from Sussex had expressed similar concerns.

Mr Green said: “ I hear a lot of concerns raised by colleague in the south of England and they say many of the same things that people in Bolton are saying.

“In Sussex they have a commute to London that’s very disrupted and has been for a long while. The causes are different but the impact is the same. In the north and south there are different reasons but they are suffering similar problems.”

Mr Green said the problems being felt at the moment were a ‘symptom’ of the progress.

He said: “There’s residents in Bolton who will be aware of some of the problems leading up to here, like in Moses Gate, the Farnworth Tunnel, the electrification project and the industrial mining heritage between Bolton and Preston.

“It’s so frustrating to have these problems when they are a symptom of this government’s commitment to the network electrification.”

Mr Green became Parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport in January and at the time said: “ I’m looking forward to working alongside Ministers to ensure that Bolton and the rest of the UK has a resilient transport network.”

After yesterday’s debate he reaffirmed his commitment to the region, saying: “I’m really pleased this government is investing in new carriages and I’m pleased The Bolton News has reported on these new carriages.

“I know I’m completely committed and the team is committed to delivering new facilities in Bolton and that’s what I will continue to champion.”