Rail users in Yorkshire were today hoping a crackdown on shoddy services would improve their lot.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has promised to tackle the problems on Britain's privatised railways - forcing companies to recruit new train drivers, provide additional rolling stock and improve passenger power.

News of the crackdown came amid claims some commuters were facing dismissal threats because their trains were making them late for work.

Passengers' representatives called for urgent improvements, claiming one woman employee had actually been sacked because of the delays on Northern Spirit trains between York and Leeds.

Mr Prescott's crackdown was outlined after he met operators, Railtrack and Rail Franchising Director John O'Brien at a crisis meeting in London.

Mr Prescott said he made it very clear that the current state of problems on the railways was "just not acceptable". He said that, over the next 12 months, 800 new train drivers would be recruited and about 370 new carriages and 170 new power units introduced.

The train companies and Railtrack will form a 'joint hit squad' to identify and tackle the worst 50 bottlenecks on the system. There will also be a national troubleshooter team to tackle punctuality problems, and the Government will introduce a new national passenger survey.

Reg French, secretary of the Selby and District Rail Users' Group, said commuters to Leeds and York were being threatened with dismissal because of delayed and cancelled trains. He claimed one woman had already been sacked. Selby MP John Grogan said the service was unacceptable. "It's a lottery whether the trains show up or not," he said.

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