THE Government has been accused by campaign group Railfuture of “turning a deaf ear” to the North-East.

The group’s Annual General Meeting, held in Durham, also heard criticism of the complex ticketing system passengers have to negotiate when paying for fares.

David Berman, the organisation’s chairman, claimed the Department for Transport was often unwilling to enter into any written dialogue in respect of formal consultations.

Mr Berman said Railfuture, which campaigns for better passenger and freight services, had completed “numerous” responses to DfT consultations with rarely any reply.

The AGM, which was sponsored by Business Durham, attracted 90 delegates from across the country.

Speakers included North-East MEP Fiona Hall and renowned rail expert Christian Wolmar who warned against complacency in the rail industry.

Mr Wolmar predicted the Government would receive less money than it had predicted from train companies in the future as a result of a crisis in the franchising system.

Alex Nelson, whose company Chester-le-Track runs a ticket agency from Chester-le-Street station, told the meeting that the system had become so complex that even booking staff working for the train companies could not understand it.

The DfT did not respond to a request to comment.