Northern mayors holding emergency meeting over Avanti, TransPennine and Northern rail ‘shambles’

Metro mayors have called on government to treat the “chaos” in rail services in the north as an emergency and to “haul operators to the table to sort out this mess”.

Metro Mayors across the region will meet following weeks of disruption which has seen hundreds of services cancelled by a number of rail operators, including TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast and Northern.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin called the emergency meeting and was joined by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the North of Tyne, Jamie Driscoll and Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard.

Labour said more than 40 services were cancelled on 25 October, and more than 60 on 26 October on TransPennine Express, which the operator blames on staffing issues.

Avanti West Coast has been under fire for months over cancellations, delays, slashed timetables and a lack of advanced tickets for journeys on the West Coast Main Line.

They made a direct plea to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Mark Harper to intervene.

They say hundreds of last minute cancellations affecting the network is creating a direct challenge to the regional economy.

In a statement, the five mayors said: “As thousands of last-minute cancellations continue to make life miserable for people in the North, and cause serious damage to the economy, the Government remains in a state of paralysis having just appointed its third Transport Secretary in seven weeks.

“If this level of disruption was being experienced in other parts of the country, we believe action would already have been taken to improve matters.

“We do not accept that passengers in the North should be treated in this way and just expected to put up with it. We won’t.”

They said: “So today we are calling on the Prime Minister and his Transport Secretary Mark Harper to treat this emergency with the urgency it deserves.

“Only the Government can haul operators to the table to sort out this mess.”

Avanti West Coast has been given until 1 April 2023 to improve its services following a reduction of its trains in the summer.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “It’s unacceptable that poor levels of service and strikes are preventing hard-working people from going about their daily lives.

“The Government is investing billions into northern transport and is working closely with train operators to ensure new drivers are swiftly recruited and long term solutions are put in place so passengers can travel confidently without disruption.

“The Department has written to northern leaders inviting them to meet with the Transport Secretary as soon as possible so, together, we can provide the reliable service passengers across the region deserve.”

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