THE mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool have called for train operator Northern to be stripped of its franchise over its disastrous record of delays and cancellations.

Labour’s Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling should terminate the franchise as soon as possible.

In a joint statement, they said Northern had “consistently failed” to meet its legally binding requirements.

The mayors said they spoke on behalf of the 4.3 million people they represent, a year after the botched introduction of a new timetable last May led to rail chaos.

The two mayors said Northern has failed to deliver a significant and sustained improvement in performance, with nearly a fifth of all services arriving late and 28,000 trains cancelled.

The privateer was also blamed for not resolving the industrial dispute over the planned removal of the guards from trains, which has seen 46 days of strike action.

The company has also failed to introduce new trains, which means that the “hated” Pacer diesel units may not be gone by the end of the year as promised.

Rail union RMT general secretary Mick Cash praised the mayors for making a “decisive move,” adding: “There should now be a swift transition of the Northern routes into a public-sector operation.

“Any attempt by Chris Grayling and the Department for Transport to sabotage the clear wishes of the democratically elected representatives will spark a furious political backlash.”

Fellow rail union leader Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, echoed his calls.

“Failing Grayling would be wise to listen on this occasion and do the right thing, but I won’t hold my breath,” he said.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald also welcomed the mayors’ intervention.

“Labour metro mayors are absolutely right to call for the termination of the Northern rail franchise, which was awarded by the last Conservative government,” he said.

“Chris Grayling can’t wait for another review. He needs to act immediately and bring this failed franchise to an end.”

Reacting to their statement, Northern managing director David Brown said: “We agree the north deserves the best possible rail service and are working hard to improve the performance and reliability for customers.”

A Department for Transport spokesman defended the firm, claiming: “Change could result in significant disruption.

“We see no reason at this stage to consider making changes to the franchise.”