TOUGHER rules to force improvements at rundown rail stations will be demanded by a committee of MPs today.

A damning report by the public accounts committee (PAC) condemns the "deplorable state" of stations that have been forgotten in the rush to improve train services.

The committee picked out the Northern Rail franchise, which runs trains across the North-East, as well as in pockets of North Yorkshire, around Harrogate and out to Whitby.

It established that, under the terms of the December 2004 franchise agreement with the Department for Transport (DfT), Northern is not required to improve its stations.

Instead, the contract stipulates only that "stations must be returned at the end of the franchise period in at least as good a state as they were at the start".

Northern is required to take steps to improve access for disabled people, but must spend only £250,000 per year on minor alterations.

Four Northern stations are in line for minor improvements, but none are in the North-East or North Yorkshire - and all those schemes will be funded by "third parties".

The Northern franchise will run until at least September 2011 - and possibly until September 2013 - with no requirement for station upgrades.

Now the PAC has demanded the DfT intervenes to name and shame the worst stations and slap penalties on the offending train operators.

It lists cost-effective improvements that could easily be adopted, such as pay-on-entry toilet cubicles and partnerships with community groups to refurbish waiting rooms.

Edward Leigh, Tory chairman of the committee, said: "Passenger needs at stations have taken second place for the Strategic Rail Authority and the railway industry.

"Far too many small and medium-sized stations are threatening places, with poorly lit, graffiti-covered passages and platforms, vandalised facilities and no staff on hand.

"Since privatisation, private sector investment in stations has been discouraged by the sheer number of bodies involved, all at loggerheads about who is responsible for what."

Mr Leigh said assessment of station quality had been left largely to station operators with financial penalties not used. One idea is to use mystery shoppers to assess standards.

Northern was formed in 2004 by Serco Group and NedRailways, a subsidiary of Dutch Railways, to take over the network run by First North Western and Arriva Trains Northern.