The transport secretary is hopeful the long-running industrial dispute affecting rail can finally be resolved - but insists unions must agree on reform. Mark Harper spoke to the Manchester Evening News following a meeting with northern metro mayors on Wednesday (November 30), including Greater Manchester's Andy Burnham, about the chaos which has blighted the region's railways throughout the year.
Thousands of services have been cancelled across the north in recent weeks, and the carnage is reported to be costing the region's economy £8 million a week. Manchester's rail operators have taken a hammering in recent months - with Avanti West Coast under fire for slashing its timetable while TransPennine Express has regularly cancelled services at short notice.
It comes amid long-running disputes over pay and conditions for rail workers in the RMT union, and industrial action for the first pay rise in three years for train drivers by Aslef. Much of the disruption also comes with rail workers no longer volunteering to work overtime, affecting services at weekends in particular.
