Northern Rail to be handed into public ownership from March

Rail services on routes operated by Northern will be brought under public control, the Government has announced.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department for Transport announced that the Government will begin operating services through the public-sector operator from March 1.

The chaotic introduction of new timetables in May 2018 saw hundreds of Northern trains a day cancelled. Punctuality and reliability problems continue to blight the network.

German-based Arriva was due to run Northern, which is operated by Arriva, until March 2025.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday: "Wherever you live, you deserve a railway that widens your children's horizon, gives you access to highly skilled, highly paid jobs, and provides a viable green alternative to getting in your car.

"For too long, millions of rail passengers in the north of England have not had that. They have had to start and end their working day facing cancellations and delays.

"Some stations, particularly on Sundays, have been left without trains for hours on end. It's no surprise that passengers have lost trust in the north's rail network."

He continued: "In January I announced that the Northern franchise was no longer financially sustainable.

"I am announcing today that from March 1 the Northern Rail franchise will be taken into public ownership."

Reacting to the news, Yvette Cooper, Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, and chair of the Home Affairs Committee, tweeted: “About time. Delays & cancellations under Northern Rail have been getting worse and worse and worse.

“But Govt also needs a proper plan to invest in our northern railways, trains and stations so we get a fair deal.”

Responding to the news, Chris Burchell, Arriva MD UK Trains said: “We had a clear vision for the Northern franchise that would better connect the cities of the North with more frequent, reliable and modern services and unlock economic growth.

"It was clear however that, largely because of external factors, the franchise plan had become undeliverable. A new plan is needed that will secure the future for Northern train services. As such, we understand Government’s decision today.

“I would like to recognise the hard work of the 6,000 strong team at Northern who have worked tirelessly over the last four years to deliver improvements to local rail services in the North, at times under extremely difficult conditions.

“The scale of the challenges we faced outside of our direct control were unprecedented, particularly around delayed or cancelled infrastructure projects and prolonged strike action.

“We recognise however that overall service improvements have not come quickly enough, and passengers deserve better."