Government accused of 'patronising' the North with Pacer train scheme

The Government has been accused of treating the North with “patronising contempt” after it announced that retired Pacer trains will be converted into buildings for a hospital, a school and a mental health charity in Yorkshire.
One of the 19-tonne carriages is being used by Huddersfield-based mental health charity Platform 1 as an educational kitchen for cookery coursesOne of the 19-tonne carriages is being used by Huddersfield-based mental health charity Platform 1 as an educational kitchen for cookery courses
One of the 19-tonne carriages is being used by Huddersfield-based mental health charity Platform 1 as an educational kitchen for cookery courses

Shadow chancellor Angela Rayner made the accusation after Grant Shapps announced on Twitter that the hugely unpopular trains had been put to “new uses serving Northern communities”.

The Department of Transport has pointed out that the Pacers were delivered to organisations which want them and submitted bids during a competition.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ms Rayner said: “The patronising contempt for the north from Conservative ministers is disgusting.

“Pacer trains are still in use across the north despite it being seven years since the Tories’ Northern Powerhouse broken promises."

The Labour MP added: “The Government should be funding our schools and railways properly and honouring the promises they made instead of using old carriages as classrooms.”

One of the 19-tonne carriages is being used by Huddersfield-based mental health charity Platform 1 as an educational kitchen for cookery courses and another has been turned into a science laboratory for a Bradford school.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The third will be converted into a non-clinical space for paediatric patients and their families outside Airedale General Hospital in Keighley.

Kirsty Randall, matron for the children’s ward, said: “We’re really excited to have the Pacer train carriage on site and can’t wait to start using it with our patients and their families.

"We’re planning on using the space for children and young people who need to be in hospital but not necessarily on the ward at all times.

"The space will give these children and young people a space that feels less medical, which will really help our younger patients to have a more positive hospital experience."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rail Minister Chris Heaton Harris said: “It has been great to witness all three of these Pacer carriages taken off the tracks and into new homes to serve communities across the North.

“Instead of being a home for disgruntled commuters, this train will now have a new life bringing happiness and support to families visiting Airedale Hospital.”

The trains, which were introduced as cheap a stop-gap in the 1980s, were seen by many as uncomfortable, outdated and unreliable.

The Government ordered Northern to stop using Pacer trains after politicians argued that their use highlighted a wide disparity in transport investment between the region and the North and the South East.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: "These bus-trains should have been replaced long ago but a narrow cost-benefit approach to decision-making meant the North has had put up with substandard services for years - and civil servants still required a ministerial direction to get rid of trains Iran took out of service before us.

“The continued lack of investment in rail infrastructure and capacity has held back productivity across the Northern Powerhouse for decades."

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.