Train firm's in doghouse over delays

"FOR customers who count on reliability, precision and first-class service": Swiss railway manufacturer Stadler isn't afraid to blow its own trumpet on its corporate website.

- ROB PARSONS

But these claims might be met with more than a raised eyebrow in Merseyside and the North East, where its failing trains have seen the firm put on the naughty step by local leaders in recent months.

The most recent instance has seen Stadler, responsible for getting the Tyne and Wear Metro's troubled trains into service every day, fined more than £1m for under-performance.

As Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland writes, Metro operator Nexus has hit the company with financial penalties for not having enough carriages in a usable state over the past year.

The rail network has been beset with problems recently, with passengers left frustrated by regular delays and cancellations.