For passenger rail travel, the north of England was the future, once. But since that first train from Darlington to Stockton in 1825, many have felt short-changed. As one angry passenger put it, 200 years later: “What is it about the rail industry which makes them think they can treat passengers in the north as second-class citizens?” That complaint came from the former mayor of Greater Manchester, who frequently set out a different vision for the train services he would like.
Now that Andy Burnham is in No 10, he has the opportunity to win those battles – or perhaps see them a little differently. For now, what unresolved issues could the railway expect to be pursued with greater urgency? But he also started investigating alternative schemes, with two consecutive mayors of the West Midlands, for a line connecting their city regions.
Building on some of the work already done, and safeguarding land acquired for HS2, the scheme that eventually emerged looked suspiciously like the old line but “quickly and crucially at a significantly lower cost”. In January, government rail plans set out under Keir Starmer included an “intention to build” a new line connecting Birmingham and Manchester, once other northern aspirations – see below – were fulfilled. Earlier this month, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “When we made that announcement, what I agreed with Andy is that we would also do a study about how you address the capacity constraints on the west coast mainline between Birmingham and Manchester […] I’m fully expecting the new prime minister to tell me to put some rocket boosters under that study, perhaps to do it a bit quicker.” “Avanti should have been left on probation.
People in Greater Manchester deserve a stable, predictable rail service between here and London and it is simply not acceptable. It is one kick in the teeth after another.” (Burnham, 20 October 2023) The triumphant arrival of Burnham as the newly elected Makerfield MP in London was highly anticipated – but, taking the Avanti West Coast train, unsurprisingly delayed. The intercity operator is significantly improved from its post-Covid nadir, with a fleet overhaul and steady restoration of the timetable, but punctuality and cancellations remain among the worst in Britain, and industrial relations issues are not resolved.
Burnham opposed the renewal of Avanti’s contract, and one way or another, he will soon have the service back in public hands. All train operations are being folded into the new Great British Railways, with Avanti expected to be renationalised in spring 2027. Continued poor results could conceivably bring that forward.
A government source said: “We recognise Avanti isn’t performing and all options are on the table to improve that.” With Burnham’s nascent No 10 North requiring parts of government – indeed, the PM himself – to shuttle swiftly between the cities, the planned change in ownership alone may not be enough. The local government professor Tony Travers says: “The service delivery is clearly way below acceptable. Having some of the most senior people in government trying to use it will test whether it can be made better.
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