YP Letters: Northern rail is investing in trains and staff

Rail operator Northern has defended its industrial relations record.

I WRITE in response to the letter from the TUC’s regional secretary Bill Adams (The Yorkshire Post, July 7). After years of under-investment, Northern is working to introduce the biggest rail upgrade for a generation. Everything is centred on quality – new trains, faster journeys, more services, improving customer service and maintaining high safety standards.

Our £580m investment programme in 98 new trains is progressing to plan. The first new trains will operate from 2018, refurbished trains are now appearing across the network, and the feedback from customers has been positive. Our £60m station improvement programme is continuing and by the end of this year, 111 stations are on track to be upgraded.

Since April 2016, we have created 460 new jobs. In terms of our discussions with RMT, we have said many times that there will be no job cuts if we can reach an agreement with the union. Our staff have just had a 2.6 per cent pay rise. We want to make frontline staff more visible and available than ever before – helping and supporting customers. It is these types of key discussions we want to have with our union colleagues over driver controlled operation – a method of train operation widely used safely across the UK and Europe.