Burnham: "Terminate Northern Rail franchise"

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has called for the Transport Secretaray to terminate the Northern Rail franchise.

Grant Shapps told the House of Commons Transport Select Committee this afternoon that the government was considering moving Northern Rail out of private ownership and placing it in the hands of a state-owned operator.

He told MPs that Northern - which operates across Greater Manchester and beyond - "cannot continue" delivering poor levels of punctuality.

Mr 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.”

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