This is what Northern say about reducing train services during coronavirus crisis

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said that the railways have seen a 20 per cent drop in passenger usage since the coronavirus crisis led to widespread home working and self-isolation.

The Department for Transport is expected to allow franchises to cut the number of trains they operate if they are running at well below their usual capacity, although this would normally be against the terms of their contracts.

Deep cleaning of trains and new uniforms: How Northern will look under public ownershipThe focus will likely switch to keeping commuter services running to allow NHS staff and other key workers to travel to their posts. Long-distance trains are more likely to be suspended, especially if travel restrictions similar to those in European countries are eventually enforced.

However, Northern said no data was available on whether passenger numbers on lines in Yorkshire had declined in March and that it was too early to say whether coronavirus had had an impact on travel patterns.

Mr Shapps referred to the empty services as 'ghost trains' in a BBC radio interview and agreed it was pointless to run them if they were underused.

Northern has only just been taken back under government control after previous franchise holders Arriva were stripped of their operating rights. The Northern network is now run by the Operator of Last Resort.

LNER, which runs long-distance trains between Yorkshire and London, has also been nationalised.

However, many other franchises across the UK remain in private ownership and will have to negotiate their response to the coronavirus situation with the government, who have said they will be flexible in order to prevent unsustainable financial losses.