THE RMT rail union is warning train guards will be axed from some services under proposals for the new Northern and Transpennine Express rail franchises.

The franchises are due to start in April next year and will be jointly managed by a new body ‘Rail North’, comprising of representatives from 29 Northern councils and the Department of Transport.

The RMT’s general secretary Mick Cash said the proposed rail franchise agreements to be signed by the winning bidders meant passengers would no longer have the protection of a guard on every train.

It also said there would be no guarantees that ticket offices would be kept open.

Mr Cash said Rail North’s own estimates suggested that passenger demand for trains would soar by 50 per cent over the next 15 years.

He said: “This will mean a huge increase in revenues which should be used to take on more rail staff, not cut them.”

In a letter to Rail North representatives, the RMT said train guards/conductors dealt with any emergencies as well as providing general assurance to passengers, ticket and travel advice and revenue protection.

Mr Cash said: “Cuts to rail jobs are a false economy and make a nonsense of the Government’s hot air about creating a ‘Northern Powerhouse’."

A spokesman for the DfT said: “The next Northern and Transpennine franchises will bring massive improvements for customers, including scrapping the outdated and unpopular Pacers, bringing in a brand new fleet of modern trains and boosting capacity at peak times by a third.

“We recognise the value of customer-facing staff, which is why we are not specifying any staff cuts in the new franchises.

“We will be giving drivers’ responsibility for opening and closing doors to free up onboard staff to provide the high level of customer service that passengers deserve.”