Conor McGinn MP Member of Parliament for St Helens North
I spoke in the House of Commons on two important transport infrastructure issues facing my constituents.
I called for new works to the junction to be included in the next Road Investment Strategy, Haydock Island is a vital junction that carries traffic off the M6 where it meets very busy local roads.
Although it has been remodelled in recent years, there are still issues with heavy traffic flows and this is impacting local residents and businesses.
St Helens is ideally situated for businesses that trade in Liverpool and Manchester and it is vital for workers commuting there and for drivers in St Helens that traffic flows freely.
On the rail network, the Wales and the Borders train franchise runs through much of the North West, including areas of St Helens and my constituency of St Helens North.
Despite this, and the fact that a large number of passengers using the service start and finish their journeys at stations in the North West, no one from our region or indeed at the Department for Transport in London has control over who gets the franchise.
I raised this issue in the House of Commons and pointed out to the Transport Secretary that it is ludicrous that decisions affecting English passengers are made exclusively in Wales.
This is galling for commuters and rail passengers in my constituency who have already endured months of delays and cancellations as a result of Northern’s botched new timetable – also something that the Transport Secretary refuses to take responsibility for.
We need a publicly-run rail franchising system that delivers for passengers and is accountable to the proper authorities.