Arriva’s Northern Rail finishes as Northern Trains Limited begins

From Sunday (March 1), rail services formerly operated by Arriva-owned Northern Rail will be run by the Department for Transport's "Operator of Last Resort" - Northern Trains Limited.

The changeover comes months after the government vowed to strip the chaos-hit operator of its franchise following years of widespread delays and cancellations.

• Northern Rail tickets still valid as company loses franchise

Arriva's running of the franchise, which operated trains in the North-East and in North Yorkshire, had been branded as "unacceptable" after just over half of its services managed to arrive on time last year.

The firm was also slammed for continuing to run its decades-old "Pacer" train, despite promising to rid them from all Teesside routes in December.

• Northern Rail set to lose franchise, says Grant Shapps

But launching the start of the new services today, the government said it would "rebuild" confidence and fix lost trust in passengers using the firm.

It also announced a panel of Northern leaders, including the Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, would be working with rail bosses to devise a turnaround plan within the first 100 days of service. 

Arriva have officially ended their role with Northern Rail

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This is new era for rail in the North, but there will be no quick fix for the network as we build solutions for the future.

“Today marks the beginning of rebuilding of trust in these services, and voices from the region will be essential as we work together to understand and deliver the improvements passengers need.

“Our aim is to give the North of England more powers over their railways, restoring the confidence of passengers and delivering a network they can truly rely on.”

As part of the turnaround plan, the leadership of the government operator said it would be consulting with passengers and metro mayors from across the North to identify ways to improve services.

'We need to improve performance'

Chairman of Northern Trains Limited, Richard George said: “The panel announced today will play a crucial strategic role as we look to transform services across Northern’s network, putting the needs of passengers first.

“By collaborating with local leaders, we’re taking a step towards reconnecting the railways with the people of the North.

"We need to improve performance and also provide passengers and their elected representatives with the confidence that their concerns are being addressed.”  

What happens next? 

The government said it would be carrying out a "major deep-cleaning" programme on all of its trains.

It also said work to extend platforms at 30 stations in the North would continue as normal, allowing longer-formed Northern Trains services to stop in the future. 

Northern Trains Limited said its website and app and train times remain unaffected by the change - pre-existing railway tickets will also remain valid.