TRANSPORT Secretary Grant Shapps said sorting the Northern train franchise will be his ‘number one priority’ if the Conservatives are returned to power.

He also hinted the re-instatement of the Colne to Skipton rail link could be paid for from the government’s new £500million Beeching Reversal Fund.

Northern has been beset by problems since the introduction of a new timetable in May last year.

Mr Shapps said: “One of the first things I did was a request for proposals - either effectively us managing it as an operator of last resort and a proposal from Northern. The Northern service is terrible. Northern’s actually my number one priority as far as lines are concerned.

“The Colne-Skipton reinstatement was one of the examples we gave on the Beeching Reversal Fund. It’s one of the things we’d like to see happen.”

David Brown, Northern’s managing director, said: “Northern remains fully-committed to delivering the transformation of the North’s railways and improving customers’ experience. We are well under way with the development of a plan.”

He added: “It’s on record that the franchise has faced several material and unprecedented challenges in the past couple of years, outside the direct control of Northern.”