Calderdale commuters share their scepticism towards Government's re-nationalising of Northern's rail service

In a written statement to Parliament, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the Northern franchise would be taken into public ownership and the Government will begin operating services.

He said the new public sector operator would be "a company entirely owned by my Department and run by experienced railway managers".

The decision comes after several months of poor performance by the operator, including an increase in delays and cancellations for passengers across the north of England.

According to Network Rail data, only 65 per cent of trains arrived at their scheduled station stops within one minute of the timetable in the past 12 months.

Mr Shapps said: "This is a new beginning for Northern, but it is only a beginning. Northern's network is huge and complex, some of the things which are wrong are not going to be quick or easy to put right. Nonetheless, I am determined that Northern passengers see real and tangible improvements across the network as soon as possible."

He promised that in Yorkshire the hated 1980s' Pacer trains will be gone by the spring and that next year electric trains will be moved to the North from elsewhere in the network, boosting capacity for commuters in Leeds and Manchester.

New technology will be trialled to identify "crowding pinch points" and platforms at 30 stations across the Northern network would be extended to allow for longer trains. The trains will also undergo a deep clean "to make sure the first and last passengers travel on trains in the same condition".

"Today’s announcement will inevitably raise questions about the future of rail privatisation. Over the past twenty years privatisation has reversed over two decades of declining passenger numbers and passenger journeys have almost doubled to nearly 2 billion.

"However, it is clear that the current model is now struggling to deliver. Across the country a number of franchises are failing to provide the reliable services that passengers require. We know change is needed, and it is coming. The Williams Review is looking at reforms across the railway to ensure customers are at the heart of the system.

"The railways were invented in the North of England and last year the Prime Minister promised that we would give the railway back to the places it was born. With local leaders having more power over local services, timetables, fares and stations. Today marks the first small step in that journey.

"The first step towards the north taking back control of its railways and its people taking back control of their travelling lives, and its economy being strengthened rather than weakened by its transport network," said Mr Shapps.

Courier readers have voiced their frustration regarding Northern's service, but are sceptical about the Government's intervention.

Kate Shaw commented: "Until they sort the existing infrastructure out on the rail lines it will make no difference whatsoever. Instead of pumping billions into HS2 they need to provide existing sites and lines with capacity to deal with enough trains to be able to provide a safe, reliable and cost effective service."

Simon Windle posted: "Time will tell but the service as been second rate for a long time..over crowded and poor value for money."

Tony Hanson said: "HS2 is An insane idea When there's thousands more priorities above that. Get what we have running correctly then think about it when We have a few bob spare to spend on tech."

"Unless they are able to conjure up the new trains and speed up driver training there will be no change in the foreseeable future. Simple solution like more carriages on routes would help," said Jan Salmons.

Steve Waring, chair of Halifax and District Rail Action Group said: "Passengers on our line have seen abysmal performance since last autumn, with serious delays and cancellations of key commuter services.

"Franchise commitments including additional trains and services to Manchester Airport for the Calder Valley Line, which should have happened in December last year, were instead put on hold indefinitely.

"Some of this is due to factors outside Northern's control, including late delivery of infrastructure projects by Network Rail and its contractors. The Department for Transport itself shares the blame because of failure to approve capacity projects in Manchester that should have been complete by 2019."

Both local MPs, Labour's Holly Lynch and Conservative's Craig Whittaker, have recently discussed the poor train service in the region in the House of Commons, dubbing it 'no longer fit for purpose'.

Ms Lynch stated that "Rail users in Halifax and across the North are suffering every week due to this government's failure to invest in rail infrastructure over the last decade.

"The north now needs both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail to make a real start in tackling the north-south divide."

Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley, said: “Misery is a polite word to describe the daily commuting experience of those using the Calder Valley train line.

“It’s not just cancelled trains, late trains, or even broken down trains, it’s infrastructure."