BRITAIN’S transport secretary and the North West’s regional transport body have agreed a plan to try and improve train services.

Chris Grayling said bringing Northern’s trains up to scratch was his “top performance priority” and has worked alongside Transport for the North (TfN) CEO Barry White to assess the operator’s ‘action plan’.

It follows months of disruption for Bolton’s rail users, with trains cancelled and delayed every day, reaching a peak after the introduction of a new timetable on Monday.

The plans include extra services at peak times on the Bolton corridor, an increase in the driver roster, more contingencies drivers in case of disruption and improved driver training on new routes to get services moving quickly.

Both TfN and the department of transport – collectively working under the banner of the Rail North Partnership – has also called on Northern to improve communication to the public and make daily calls to Network Rail to manage operations.

Following the announcement, David Brown, managing director at Northern, apologised to the operator's customers.

He said: “We are doing everything we can to minimise cancellations and delays and keep our customers informed. It has been difficult for many of our customers, in particular on a number of routes around north Manchester extending up to Blackpool, and we are very sorry for this.

“We are introducing 1,300 new train services a week, and fitting in these and other train companies’ services has meant that we have had to change 90% of our timetabled trains. This is the biggest modernisation that the northern railway has had for generations.

“The new timetable was planned and delivered in 4 months compared to the normal 9-12 months because a key improvement – electrification of the Manchester-Bolton line – has been delayed and this meant rewriting our plan and then training drivers at the last minute.

“We know the situation isn’t good enough and for that we are truly sorry. We‘re implementing actions that we have agreed with the Department for Transport. Our customers deserve better and that’s what we’re focused on delivering.”

Mr Grayling said the government was trying to improve service but admitted that the level of disruption that passengers have experienced in the north was “unacceptable”.

He continued: “Improving the service for Northern customers is the number one performance priority for my department and we will work with the industry to keep disruption at a minimum.”

Rail minister Jo Johnson, who yesterday described the issues as “teething problems”, added: “I have spoken with the chief executive of Transport for the North and the mayor of Greater Manchester to underline our absolute commitment to improving performance for passengers.

“We are working closely with train companies to drive down cancellations and will support Network Rail and the wider industry in delivering these significant improvements.”

Mr Johnson is working directly with Mr White on these plans, which will be implemented immediately.

The TfN chief said: “We are extremely disappointed and concerned with the inadequate performance of Northern. We have received a timetable recovery plan from Northern to address these concerns and improve the rail experience for passengers.

“Both Transport for the North and the Department for Transport, through the Rail North Partnership, will be monitoring progress against the plan on a daily basis.”

A strike on Northern’s services today decreased the number of trains expected to run even further, to around 40 percent, and more action is planned on Saturday.