Trains on the Wharfedale Line are not split into first and second class, but the next train arriving at the local station could soon be of a lower standard.

There was always a nagging suspicion that ‘new’ carriages promised for the Wharfedale Line might, in fact ,be recycled old carriages that, presumably, a rail company somewhere else in the country had decided to get rid of.

The line’s Class 333 electric trains were massively welcome when they came, after years of rickety travel on extremely old-style, draughty commuter trains, complete with push-down windows, and quaint doors dotted along the side of each carriage, reminiscent of the steam age.

It’s very unlikely that second-hand carriages scheduled for the Wharfedale Line are anywhere near as archaic as those particular relics, but any passengers who remember those days will be ever so slightly worried about just what is heading in their direction.

WRUG has spent years fighting the cause of local passengers. If the fact that we still have a line, let alone a thriving electrified commuter line, is anything to go by, passenger power has certainly done the trick in the past in securing decent rail links for the area.

One group cannot fight alone, though. WRUG has talked to passenger transport heads, rail company chiefs and yes, MPs, in its quest for better rail facilities. Now it is time for commuters to make their own efforts to speak out.

Instead of one voice, and one organisation, there could be many voices. Local MPs listen to their constituents and – hopefully – the decision-making ministers listen to their MPs.

Instead of complaining when a packed, uncomfortable, old diesel chugs its way into the station, passengers have a chance to speak out now.