Mayors call on the Government to make public statement to end railway chaos in the North of England

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and the Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, have issued a joint statement following an announcement that the Government are going to take action on the railway chaos in the North of England.

They said: “All year we have been calling on the Government to get a grip of the chaos on the railways of the North and remove the franchise from Northern. Now, just days before Christmas, Government sources have finally responded by briefing a Sunday newspaper that they are belatedly going to take action. This is not good enough. Passengers and staff need clarity going into the New Year.

“We are today calling on the Government to end the damaging uncertainty by making a public statement confirming or denying this report and set out an urgent plan as to how they will bring back stability to our railways in 2020. For much of this year, TransPennine Express has been performing worse than Northern.

“A timetable needs to be set for improvements and, if they fail to deliver, TransPennine should be next. Passengers here are just days away from another big hike in fares but with no certainty that things are going to get any better any time soon. Before they buy new season tickets, the Government must let them know where they stand.”

Article Published: 22/12/2019 12:21 PM