AT times this summer it has appeared that the most reliable thing about the railways in Furness is the rate at which they deliver bad news.

Last month we had the cancelled electrification of the Lakes Line by the government. Last week there was the revelation that over a quarter of all trains at Barrow station were delayed or cancelled, making it one of the worst in the country. And there has been no respite for rail travellers in Furness this week as they have been hit by the news that from January 2018 they will be paying an extra 3.6 per cent as the already sky-high rail fares see another inflation-busting rise.

The situation is becoming unsustainable. Rail passengers simply cannot put up with a scenario where they are paying more and more every year for a service that shows no signs of improvement. In fact, there is an argument that it is actually getting worse. For their extra money passengers will be getting the privilege of travelling on ancient rolling stock that will have aged another year. If the rail companies get their way they will be travelling without the added safety of a guard who is able to deal with disruption and look after vulnerable passengers. And they still won’t be travelling on an electrified line, even though we are decades behind the rest of the country. Twentieth century trains at 2017 prices. It doesn’t sound like a good deal, does it?

If prices are set to rise then we need a commitment that every last penny of the money will go into modernising the service. When freshly minted new rolling stock becomes available, we should be at the front of the queue to receive it, not having to make do with the cast-offs from other lines. And if electrification is being shelved to trial new dual-fuel technology, then where better to introduce these quicker trains than on a line that has been neglected for decades?

I have reformed the Cumbria Better Connected Campaign to launch a fresh push to secure the transport infrastructure we deserve in our county. We are fed-up with the delays, cancellations and neglect that frustrates passengers and holds back our local economy. I will be bringing together local MPs, councils, businesses and campaigners in the months to come to make the case for more investment, and I want the public to get involved too. If you have ideas for improvements or you want to share your experience of using our transport system, then please get in touch with my office so I can raise your issues with the government and strengthen our case in fighting for a better future for passengers in Furness.

The ability to plan our own future may be sorely missing on our railways, but for many primary school children in Furness it has been the theme of the last three weeks at the Furness Future Leaders’ Academy summer school. I set up the programme in 2015 and I am so proud to see that in its third full year it continues to go from strength to strength. This year 89 youngsters from across Furness have benefited from a challenging and exciting course aimed at both equipping and inspiring them to take advantages of the opportunities that are coming to Furness in the future thanks to the investment in the submarine programme.

The programme has such an impact on the children and I hope it can go a long way towards raising aspirations and closing the attainment gap that holds back our kids from fulfilling their potential. Of course none of this would be possible without the dedication of the education team from Barrow Island Primary and Victoria Academy who have pulled out all the stops to make this possible, and the kind generosity of the many sponsors who continue to support the project. The benefits of investing in the next generation will be felt by the whole community in the decades to come, creating a highly skilled modern workforce to go with our cutting-edge industry. Who knows, by then we might even have a 21st century rail system as well.