For years, Andy Burnham was one of the loudest voices complaining about how rail passengers in the north of England were being treated like second-class citizens. Now he’s sitting in Number 10, the question everyone’s asking is simple: can he actually fix it?
The north of England has a complicated relationship with the railways. It was here, after all, that modern rail travel was born, with the famous Darlington to Stockton line launching back in 1825. Two centuries on, many northern commuters and travellers feel they’ve been left behind while investment and attention has been poured into London and the south.
Burnham spent years as Mayor of Greater Manchester hammering this point home. He pushed hard for better intercity connections, more reliable services, and a genuine commitment to levelling up transport infrastructure across the region. He was vocal, he was frustrated, and he made no secret of what he thought needed to change. The rail industry, he argued, had consistently failed northern passengers.
Now the tables have turned. As Prime Minister, Burnham holds the keys to the decisions he used to shout about from the outside. The big question is whether being in government changes your perspective, or whether he’ll use the position to push through the reforms he spent so long calling for.
There are several major issues sitting on the table. High-speed rail connectivity in the north remains a sore point after the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2 under the previous government. That decision caused fury across the region, with leaders arguing it was a direct betrayal of promises made to northern cities. Whether a Burnham government revisits that decision, or finds an alternative solution to improve journey times between cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield, will be watched closely.
Intercity links are another headache. Travelling between major northern cities can still be painfully slow compared to equivalent journeys in other parts of Europe. The infrastructure simply hasn’t kept pace with demand, and years of underinvestment have left their mark on reliability, capacity, and passenger experience.
Local and commuter services have also been a constant source of frustration. Delayed trains, cancellations, and overcrowding have plagued routes across Yorkshire, the North West, and the North East. Transport for the North, the statutory body set up to give the region a stronger voice on these issues, has repeatedly highlighted the gap between what northern passengers receive and what those in London take for granted.
There’s also the broader question of rail nationalisation. The previous government began bringing train operators back under public ownership, and that process is continuing. How that transition plays out, and whether it leads to genuine improvements for passengers or simply changes who’s in charge of the same broken system, remains to be seen.
Burnham’s supporters argue he is uniquely placed to drive change. He understands the frustrations at a ground level, having dealt with them directly as a regional mayor. He has existing relationships with transport bosses, local leaders, and the unions. And he has a personal and political stake in proving that a northern Prime Minister can deliver for northern communities in a way previous governments haven’t.
Sceptics, though, point out that the pressures of national government have a habit of pushing regional priorities down the agenda. The Treasury’s grip on infrastructure spending is tight, and with competing demands from health, housing, and defence, rail investment in the north could easily slip further down the list.
What’s clear is that expectations are high. Northern passengers, politicians, and business groups will be watching closely to see whether the man who spent years demanding better finally delivers it. The 200-year-old promise of the railway connecting the north hasn’t fully been kept yet. Burnham now has a genuine chance to change that.