House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
A Passenger Focused Railway
29 January 2020 · Department for Transport
Proposed by Grant Shapps Con Welwyn Hatfield
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The Northern Rail franchise in England will be taken into public ownership by the Department for Transport starting March 1st, 2020.
- Plans include rolling out new trains, improving Sunday service reliability, and extending platforms at thirty stations.
- A cross-industry recovery task force will be created to address operational issues.
Issue summary
The minister announces the Northern Rail franchise in England will be taken into public ownership starting March 1st due to financial unsustainability and poor service quality.
Action requested
From March 1st, the Department for Transport will operate Northern services through a public-sector operator. Plans include rolling out new trains, improving reliability on Sundays, extending platforms at 30 stations, trialing technology to identify crowding pinch points, reviewing cleaning patterns, and creating a cross-industry recovery task force.
Key facts
- The Northern franchise is taken into public ownership from March 1st by the Department for Transport.
- New trains will be introduced, with Pacers phased out in Yorkshire by spring and electric trains moved to boost capacity in Manchester and Leeds.
- A newly-created cross-industry North West Recovery Task Force will deliver recommendations to improve capacity and performance.