Northern Rail has said it still relies on fax machines to communicate with its train crews because of long-standing agreements with trade unions.
This was revealed during a recent Rail North meeting attended by Northern mayors, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Burnham said: “The north needs better than an unreliable, fax-driven railway.”
Northern Rail, which became state-owned in 2020 following issues with performance, is the UK’s second-largest train company.
Tricia Williams, Northern Rail’s managing director, explained that it would be difficult to phase out fax machines without cooperation from trade unions.
She said: “We wouldn’t be able to get rid of them tomorrow without an agreement with our train unions.
“We have to look at these issues with the depth and complexity they have.”
Williams added that changing this process requires changing union agreements.
Matt Rice, Northern’s chief operating officer, added that the reliance on fax machines is due to legacy systems that were set up to provide information and schedules to crew members.
“The tools we use to get information and messages to our crew rely on faxes, amazingly,” he said.
He added that the operator is aiming to move away from this outdated technology.
Burnham questioned why, after decades of privatisation, such methods remain in use. He added: “People watching this session would not consider replacing fax machines as an issue of depth and complexity.”
Rice responded, saying: “It’s a fair question. Our job is to get rid of them. Our job is to unleash the full potential of [the] emerging technological revolution.”
Nonetheless, Burnham and other regional leaders concluded that Northern’s current improvement plan was inadequate and they requested a revised proposal, which is expected by November 20.
Northern Rail has faced numerous challenges lately, including frequent cancellations and service disruptions.
In recent months, it has issued multiple “do not travel” advisories and data revealed it has breached its government contract – which mandates that no more than seven percent of services should be cancelled – three times since April.
Approximately 80 percent of these cancellations have been blamed on Northern Rail’s internal issues, not external factors like infrastructure problems.
A Northern Rail spokesperson acknowledged the company’s performance issues, apologising for recent service disruptions.
They said: “We are sorry for our recent performance and accept it has not been good enough. Cancellations are always a last resort.”
They added that staff sickness and the lack of voluntary overtime agreements, especially in the northwest where staff are not required to work Sundays, have contributed to the high cancellation rate.
