London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 22, 2025

North of England faces rail chaos, warns business lobby

North of England faces rail chaos, warns business lobby

Business leaders in the north of England are warning rail services could "collapse into utter chaos" by January unless the government takes action.

Members of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership have written to ask the transport secretary to address a crisis they say is "wreaking havoc".

Rail travel in northern England has been severely disrupted in recent months by strikes and cancellations.

The government agreed the current situation was "unacceptable".

It said it was "investing billions" in northern transport and was "working closely with train operators" to resolve problems around the recruitment of new drivers.

But Juergen Maier, former chief executive of Siemens UK and a vice chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the government had failed to "use the levers only it can pull, to sort out or train services".

Although train travel has been disrupted across the whole of the UK this year, northern operators, including Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express have come under particular scrutiny.

Passengers to, from and across the region have faced reduced timetables, crowded services, last-minute cancellations and delays.

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership said recruitment of new train drivers, one source of the disruption, was held back by the failure to agree new overtime working arrangements at some rail operators, including at TransPennine.

They called on the government to open the way for new "rest day working" arrangements. Drivers at most operators can choose to work on their days off - or "rest days" - when they are expected to give training and be on standby to cover drivers who call off sick.

TransPennine had a rest day working agreement in place until last autumn, but it has not been able to agree on new terms with its drivers since then. That leaves the operator more at risk of last-minute cancellations.

"We are not able to continue as we are," said Mr Maier. "If we do not get approval for a rest day working agreement to be negotiated this week it will be too late."

Without a new agreement the system would collapse into "utter chaos", he said.

Cancellations have already cut off the Humber for "days at a time" and reduced access to Manchester Airport, forcing people into their cars instead, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said.


'Havoc'


Transport Secretary Mark Harper, who is due to meet city mayors from across the region later this week, said services would be improved by having "a proper seven-day railway".

"We have days in the week when train services are completely dependent on the goodwill of people coming in to work on their days off. That isn't how you run a modern railway that people depend on for running their daily lives," he said.

In their letter to Mr Harper, the vice chairs of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Mr Maier, and crossbench peer Lord Jim O'Neill, said the situation was already "wreaking havoc on the northern economy".

TransPennine apologised for the disruption and said work was continuing to address the impact of sickness and a shortage of drivers, which would normally have been significantly mitigated by rest day working arrangements.

"We are sorry to anyone who has been affected by this ongoing disruption," a spokesperson said. "This has been caused by high levels of traincrew sickness, an intensive crew training programme (which includes a training backlog as a direct result of Covid), and infrastructure issues outside of our control."

The operator said it had invested in a fleet of new trains and now had 70 more drivers than the 500 it had in 2019.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
×