Rail bosses at the north's biggest train operator have unveiled proposals to get the public moving in the run-up to Christmas - using buses.
Under fire Northern, which today admitted it 'amazingly' still uses fax machines to communicate with its staff and organise rotas, said it would be 'strengthening' its 'bus provision' after being summoned to a Rail North Committee meeting to explain high levels of recent cancellations.
One senior boss said Northern's job was to 'move' people - and if that couldn't be done by train, it would be done by bus, saying the operator would be 'amplifying' its 'bus provision' from next month. READ MORE: UK Budget 2024 LIVE updates as Rachel Reeves announces £40bn tax rise with benefits and pensions increases The operator, which runs trains across Greater Manchester and the north west, was renationalised in March, 2020, when it's franchise was taken into public ownership.
As a consequence, it's now run by a business owned by the Department for Transport. In its latest performance summary - covering a period from September 15 to October 12 - Northern said there were 1,162 'short notice' cancellations.