From 1977 to 1980 I was a studying for a degree at Leeds Polytechnic. With a student rail card I could get home to Birmingham New Street once every couple of months for £5 return.
The British Rail trains were musty. The old carriages with individual compartments behind sliding doors often had ripped or suspension-busted seats. But I planned bus journeys to the railway station with precision - because the trains left on time.
The journey could be torturous - sitting in a tiny corridor as there was no seats left in the compartments - nestled next to my woefully uncool white suitcase - a relic from my dad's adventurous 1969 family explorations of Majorca.
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I also took the train back and forth across the Pennines to Manchester to see a certain nurse in Crumpsall. It could take an age via Hebden Bridge, and comfort was not a priority, but it left on time, and there was a good choice of departure times at weekends. And at Victoria there was a metal machine fixed to a wall near the ticket office from which you could buy a block of red paper and foil wrapped Nestle chocolate.
Fast-forward to autumn 2024 and my youngest daughter is studying for a degree at Leeds Beckett University - once known as Leeds Polytechnic. She comes home to Manchester once every two to three weeks and catching the train is the obvious choice of transport.
But during one weekend recently warnings issued by Northern Trains - which now seem to be a regular occurrence - meant she was playing rail roulette if she wanted to get back to Leeds by train. Expected cancellations were numerous and the operator was advising not to travel.
It's an experience all too common for regular passengers on Northern services. Last minute cancellations and delays are such a regular occurrence that mayor Andy Burnham recently wrote to the government asking for help to fix the problems with the rail operator. It followed a meeting of the Rail North Committee to discuss the issue. During the meeting, it was revealed bosses still use fax machines to communicate with staff.
My wife ended up driving my daughter across the M62 back to Leeds on a Sunday night. Then the next day I was sent, ironically, a press release from Northern which said that teachers 'looking to stretch their school trips budget should give up the coach and try us instead'.
Puzzled and incensed after my daughter's experience, I made a few inquiries and spoke to a helpful member of Northern's press office. They came back with a statement apologising for the chaos.
"Our customers have experienced higher levels of cancellation in recent weeks for that we are sorry", they said.
"The underlying reason for the services being cancelled remains traincrew availability - the root causes of that are high levels of employee sickness and Sundays being contractually outside the working week."
I found the statement refreshingly honest. But the background context I was provided with left me shocked.
Northern has the required number of drivers and conductors to operate its timetable. The operator has about 3,500 drivers and conductors. It has an on-going recruitment policy throughout the year as staff only have to give between four weeks and six months notice (depending on their role) if they leave, earn promotion, or retire.
As it takes nine to 18 months for a conductor or driver to become fully trained, the operator says 'it's never a straight swap'.
But this is the crux of why my daughter and other commuters were stumped when trying to catch a train on a Sunday. Northern explained: "Around 50 percent of our drivers do not have Sundays ‘within the working week’ and the figure for conductors is 100% (not having Sundays in the working week). In the North West, around half of our conductors only have to give 7 days’ notice that they do not wish to work ‘the coming Sunday’ which is why this region of our network is particularly affected by this issue."
They added: "Sickness remains the core issue for driver availability – and if that sickness falls on a Sunday, we are reliant on getting drivers to volunteer to cover that shift."
Now I have been a grateful member of the National Union of Journalists for 42 years. I have gone on strike for better pay and conditions and my union has fought for me and colleagues.
But I don't think any of my editors (seven over my career) would have entertained a situation where some reporters did not have Sundays 'within the working week'. News does not hit the buffers on a Sunday and neither should trains.
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, recently slammed Northern yet again over an 'embarrassing' travel warning issued by the operator.
Rail users were advised against using services, this time between Manchester Victoria and Chester, as well as from Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke due to 'short notice cancellations' in the north west.
Mr Burnham last week chaired an 'emergency' meeting with the Rail North Committee over the recent issues blighting the rail network. He has previously described the rail operator as a 'part-time rail service', saying its performance was 'falling far short of what passengers in Greater Manchester and the wider north deserve'.
He described 'Do Not Travel' notices between the UK as embarrassing when transport is critical to economic growth.
Following the meeting, in his letter to the government, Mr Burnham said Northern needs a mandate to agree revised Rest Day Working rates with drivers, and a mandate to 'unlock the issue where Sundays are voluntary for conductors as part of historic terms and conditions'.
The mayor said: "Efficient and reliable public transport is a critical enabler of economic growth, a key ambition we share with the new government.
"That is why, on behalf of the Rail North Committee, I have written to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State to urge them to support us to bring the service back to an acceptable level. Significant modernisation is needed by Northern if they are to match our ambitions for growth.
"The Committee will be closely scrutinising Northern’s plan and seeking assurance that they are addressing the points raised at the meeting, when the Committee meets again on 20 November. We would welcome the Government’s full support in implementing the necessary actions, especially in the urgent areas of Rest Day Working and resolving Sunday arrangements."
The unavoidable fact is that travelling between Manchester and Leeds by train is currently off the rails - particularly over the weekend. The carriages may be cleaner and more comfortable than the late 70s, but what's the point if you can't get on one.
