Rail union bosses have backed Andy Burnham's calls for train services run by TransPennine Express to be brought under public control. The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester has called for the franchise to be removed from the firm, telling a Trades Union Congress (TUC) event that a decision is 'imminent'.
It comes after almost a fifth of train services operated by the company were cancelled last week, according to Mr Burnham. Labour mayors across the North first called for an end to the company's contract at a major regional conference - the Convention of the North - in Manchester earlier this year.
Since then, Avanti - which is partly owned by TransPennine Express parent company FirstGroup - has had its contract extended by the government. But speaking at a TUC event in Manchester on Wednesday (April 12), the RMT union's general secretary Mick Lynch said that FirstGroup 'have got to go'.
