MP: Voldemort not to blame for North Yorks town’s terrible rail links

​“When it comes to transport links for small towns, few can boast the train to Hogsmeade station, where the Hogwarts Express ended its journey north from platform nine and three-quarters,” said Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby.

​However, Lord Voldemort is not to blame for Whitby having “one of the worst” connected rail lines in the country.

​The MP has urged the Government to demonstrate how “Great British Railways can improve transport links to small towns like Whitby, and open up a world of possibilities for its residents” who she said are being failed by an inadequate railway service.

​Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, June 3, she said: “The villain of the piece is not Lord Voldemort, but Dr Beeching, the minister who cut the Whitby to Scarborough line back in 1965, condemning Whitby to reliance on cars and buses.

​“That Whitby lost its train link to its coastal neighbour is bad enough, but to add insult to injury, the current service that connects Whitby to the nearest big town, Middlesbrough, is one of the worst in the country.

​“That is not the fault of the not-for-profit Esk Valley Railway Development Company, a dedicated community rail partnership that runs the line with passion and flair.”

​The MP highlighted that the service has only six trains a day, with hours-long waits in the mornings and afternoons, which makes it “impossible to plan for a hospital appointment” and forces residents to spend a night in Middlesbrough “because they cannot get to and from the hospital in a day”.

​Ms Hume added that many other constituents, including residents who want to work in Middlesbrough where there are “many more employment opportunities than in Whitby”, were frustrated by the situation.

​She added: “The lack of ambition and investment in this essential transport link for Whitby is laid bare when it is compared with another seaside town, in the south.

​“Newquay in Cornwall is not unlike Whitby in size, and it is also at the end of a branch line. Office of Rail and Road figures show that in 2023-24 the Newquay line carried 146,000 passengers, which was down 2 per cent, while the Whitby line carried 257,000, which was up 6.3 per cent.

​“Until recently, both lines suffered from poor train services, but Newquay now has 15 trains on weekdays, 14 on Saturdays and eight on Sundays, thanks to a £57 million investment.”

Alison Hume Portrait. Hoc