The Yorkshire Post says: No more soundbites. Passengers need credible plan to sort out rail chaos

However, at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, the ashen-faced countenance of Transport Minister Chris Grayling provided more insight into the scale of the chaos on the railways which has crippled northern England than did the words of Theresa May.

Mrs May has been left exposed by the mishandling of the crisis by Mr Grayling, adding to the ongoing challenge she faces in delivering Brexit given the Conservative divisions on the issue. She ducked the question when Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked which, the Northern Rail franchise or her premiership, will last longer - but there can be little doubt of the importance of getting a grip on the issue to the long-term fortunes of her Government.

Mr Corbyn’s claim that ‘On Brexit, this Government has delivered more delays and cancellations than Northern Rail;’ coupled with his decision to focus the bulk of his questions on the strategy for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union allowed Mrs May to instead focus her fire on Labour’s own divisions on that issue.

But she eventually conceded that delays on rail services in the North have been ‘unacceptable’ and ‘passengers have been let down’ when pressed again by MPs. The acknowledgements, coupled with her pledge to make ending the crisis an “absolute priority” in the wake of unprecedented joint pressure from 25 northern newspapers, including The Yorkshire Post, this week, are a step in the right direction. But expressions of regret will mean nothing without effective action swiftly following.