An extraordinary exchange over communication technology took center stage at Wednesday’s performance review of Northern Rail, as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham expressed disbelief at the train operator’s continued reliance on fax machines to contact their crews.
The revelation emerged during a tense meeting where regional mayors grilled Northern Rail officials about service disruptions and cancellations. When Burnham questioned whether rumors about fax usage were true, the rail official’s confirmation led to an increasingly heated discussion about modernization – or the lack thereof.
“How on earth is that the case in 2024?” demanded Burnham, voicing what many might consider a reasonable question. The Northern Rail official acknowledged the concern and mentioned plans to phase out the fax machines, but the response only seemed to fuel the mayor’s frustration.
In a particularly striking moment, Burnham pointed out that the operator could “do it tomorrow” – a point the official actually agreed with, before explaining why they wouldn’t. The reason? Their crew messaging systems still rely on fax technology, and changing this would require new agreements with train unions.
The explanation that this was an issue of “depth and complexity” drew particular scorn from the mayor. “I personally don’t think many people watching this will consider replacing fax machines as issues of depth and complexity,” Burnham responded, in what became one of the meeting’s most quotable exchanges.
The fax machine debate comes at a particularly challenging time for Northern Rail, which is already under scrutiny from the Department for Transport. The operator has been issued a “breach notice” requiring an improvement plan, largely due to high numbers of cancellations, particularly on Sundays.
While Northern Rail officials maintain that changing communication systems requires careful negotiation with unions, Burnham’s criticism points to a larger issue about modernization pace in British rail services. The mayor suggested this technological stagnation, despite “three decades of privatisation when money was being poured into the railway,” reflects a broader “disregard for the travelling public.”
A Northern spokesperson has acknowledged recent service issues, attributing them primarily to crew availability and Sunday working arrangements being outside normal contractual hours. The operator says they’re taking the breach notice “incredibly seriously” and are prioritizing timetable reliability improvements – though the timeline for modernizing their communication systems remains unclear.
