Andy Burnham has accused northern train services of “ruining people’s lives” as he revealed plans to ask for government support.
The Greater Manchester mayor labelled rail services in the north west as “the worst in the country” on the same day as an emergency meeting with the operators.
Burnham said he will be making an appeal to the government later today for urgent action.
He told BBC Breakfast: “The train service here is ruining people’s lives and it’s damaging businesses.
“For a government committed to growth, the public transport in the north of England really does need to be a top order issue for them.
“It has to be sorted out or we won’t get the growth that we need in this part of the world.”
The emergency meeting with Rail North Committee was called on Sunday following Northern’s announcement to avoid travelling on various train routes over the weekend.
That Northern Rail fax machine exchange in full pic.twitter.com/uq3TFjBbHM
— Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliams_FT) October 30, 2024
Burnham said: “People in the north of England should not be expected to put up with a substandard service.
“People here should no longer be treated as second class citizens when it comes to transport.”
The meeting was expected to hold train operators in the north to account and discuss what can be asked of the government to improve services.
Minuets released from the meeting revealed Northern are bound to using fax machines for communication due to trade union agreements.
Burnham also said he hopes the budget announcement today will see new rail infrastructure for the north.
A Northern spokesperson said: “We are sorry for our recent performance and accept it has not been good enough. Cancellations are always a last resort and only applied when we have no other option.
“We are experiencing high levels of staff sickness and train crew availability remains an issue in the North West, especially on Sundays which rely on crews volunteering to work additional hours.
“We are keen re-introduce rest-day working for our train drivers and agree a way forward on staffing Sundays with our conductors, by working closely with them and their union representatives.”
The meeting came hours after he confirmed Greater Manchester was freezing the £2 price cap on bus fares.
Manchester and London are the only areas not to be impacted by the bus cap going up from £2 to £3.
Burnham, who spearheaded the reregulation of Manchester busses, said: “It massively strengthens the financial position of the local authority.”
He added: “In this system the public is in control, we’re on the front foot, we say what we for the residents of greater Manchester and it’s a much better system.
“I would say to the government they really should allow all areas of England to reregulate”
Feature Image: Andy Burnham at an event in May 2023. Image by Tom Farish
