Northern mayors hold rail summit to demand UK ‘gets a grip’ on poor services

Meeting comes as TransPennine Express alone is on target to cancel more than 20,000 trains this year

Mayors in the north of England are meeting to demand the government “get a grip” on appalling rail services, with TransPennine Express (TEP) on track to cancel more than 20,000 trains this year.

The operator has already cancelled about a quarter of services in 2023, with 40% scrapped in one week in January due to a lack of staff.