Britain nationalises Northern Rail contract

Britain said it would nationalize Northern Rail, putting services between cities like Manchester and Leeds into government control after it axed a contract with Deutsche Bahn's Arriva due to poor performance. Transport minister Grant Shapps said in a written statement on Wednesday that a public-sector operator would take over the running of the railway contract from March 1.

"I am determined that Northern passengers see real and tangible improvements across the network as soon as possible," Shapps said. Passengers on Northern Rail have had to endure years of problems, with high levels of delays and cancellations due to strikes, driver shortages, timetable issues, delays to the delivery of new trains and old, creaking infrastructure.