Rail operator Northern has admitted it still uses fax machines to send vital messages to train crews.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham was stunned when he quizzed train company bosses at a meeting he chaired. He asked the two Northern representatives: “I’ve heard you’re still using fax machines. Can that possibly be true?”
One official replied: “It is very much true.”
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The confession was made at an extraordinary meeting of the rail north committee on Wednesday at which Northern was asked to account for its poor performance, including repeated “do not travel” messages issued to passengers on Sundays.
(Image: Getty Images)
Mr Burnham then asked why Northern could not get rid of fax machines “tomorrow” and gasped: “How on earth is that the case in 2024?”
The official said: “The tools we use to get messaging and information to our crew rely on faxes, amazingly. It is our challenge to get rid of them. It’s in our plans to get rid of them.”
The other Northern rep at the meeting suggested it would need the agreement of trade unions to switch to digital technology.
(Image: Getty Images)
She claimed: “We wouldn’t be able to get rid of them tomorrow without an agreement with our trade unions. So we have to look at these issues with the depth and complexity that they have.”
But the response appeared to cut no ice with Mr Burnham.
He said: “Personally, I don’t think many people watching this would imagine replacing fax machines as issues of depth and complexity. And while it may need agreement with trade unions, people would just say, ‘Well, why wasn’t that done years ago?’”
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