Our railways need to be a 7 day a week operation

Like the NHS, social care and retail our railways need to be a 7 day operation and the staff working for them probably need to be on something like 5 out 7 day contracts. I include managers/bigwigs in that too, I might add. 

 

I say that as a life-long trade unionist. That our railways have long relied on staff doing overtime to deliver a 7 day a week operation is frankly ridiculous. That some of our railway lines don’t operate on a Sunday, at all, is also ridiculous – Ormskirk/Preston comes to mind.

I listened to the new big chief at Northern in the YouTube video (It's a long watch) linked below. He certainly talks the talk, but will he deliver?- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxBDa9mP_Yg

Maybe Northern could shed a couple of lines to help them cope and reform? Ormskirk – Preston and Kirkby Headbolt Lane – Wigan should be turned over to Merseyrail with a more intensive, 7 day service. Probably Bidston – Wrexham needs to be become a Merseyrail service too i.e. no longer Transport for Wales.

But turning back to my trade union angle. Where presently employed staff don’t want to work 5 out of 7 contracts then they should be offered a generous opportunity to leave the railway. Things have to change if we're to try to meet climate change targets and get more people using our railways. My view is that if the UK builds a reliable frequent railway then passengers will come and use it. Reopened lines have proved this and one, The Northumberland Line, is referenced in the video.

Oh and an old hobby horse of mine, the circular buses that connect communities to their local railway station (Maghull on the Merseyrail Network being an example) should be free and frequent.