The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has suggested that the underfire provider of trains to the region Northern Rail could be taken back under public ownership
He told MPs today that Northern, which operates across a vast area of the north of England, “cannot continue” delivering such poor levels of punctuality.
Addressing the cross-party commons transport committee, he said that he had requested proposals from the so-called “operator of last resort” – an arm of the government tasked with replacing failing rail companies – to take over Northern. Northern, which is run by German state-owned Arriva, has also been asked to draw up its own proposals to dramatically improve the service.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “After months of misery it is a relief for us to hear Government finally accept what we’ve been saying repeatedly, that things can’t carry on as they are.
“Northern passengers will agree with the transport secretary that the current situation of unreliable, overcrowded trains ‘cannot continue’.
“People deserve so much better than this and that is why both Steve Rotheram and I have been calling for Northern to be stripped of its franchise for some time. Grant Shapps should now accelerate plans to terminate the Northern franchise and bring in an operator of last resort. I stand ready to work with him on this.
“It is only through taking decisive action that we can restore the trust of the public and deliver a rail network that finally works for passengers.”
Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to comments from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps about the potential renationalisation of Northern Rail, said:
“Northern Rail’s incompetent operator should have been stripped of its contract years ago over its abysmal performance record. The government’s refusal to do so has meant massive inconvenience for rail passengers and damage to the region’s economy.
“The service should be taken into public ownership at the soonest opportunity, but so should the rest of the railway. A railway is an interconnected system that will work best when it is integrated under public ownership, as Labour will do.”
