The rail industry "failed the passengers it serves" by the chaotic introduction of a new timetable, Chris Grayling has said as he was accused of trying to “wash his hands” of the issue.
The Transport Secretary said there had been "wholly unsatisfactory levels of disruption" on Northern and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) services since departure times were changed on May 20.
Commuters are suffering their second week of travel disruption as a result of the new timetable with numerous trains cancelled and many others running late.
Mr Grayling laid the blame for the problems at the door of Network Rail’s System Operator division which is responsible for timetables and ensuring that changes are “workable”....