Northern Rail has released record figures for applications from people wanting to work for the company, despite the firm's well publicised troubles.
The government made the decision in January to strip the franchise from operator Arriva Rail North, but despite this, almost 54,000 people applied to work for the company in the past 12 months.
593 vacancies were advertised in this period, with an average of almost 100 applicants for every job.
More than 6,000 people now work for the company in locations across the north of England – an increase of 800 permanent roles since Arriva became the owner of Northern in 2016.
The role of train driver has proved one of the most popular, attracting hundreds of applicants for every vacancy, and the number of train drivers who work for the company has seen a 32 percent rise since 2016 to nearly 2,000.
Richard Allan, Deputy Managing Director at Northern, said: "Northern is a major contributor to the economy of the north as an employer and customer for many local businesses.
"As well as carrying a record number of customers in 2019 – getting people across the region where they need to be – Northern has created 800 new jobs during Arriva’s ownership.
"We are proud to be a major employer in many major towns and cities and to have given so many people the chance to join us and build a career in the rail industry.
"Our refurbished trains alone represent a £100m investment, with much of the work being carried out by companies based in the north of England.
"This, alongside brand-new trains and improvements at stations, means that businesses in the region, the UK economy and, most importantly, our customers have all benefited from Arriva Rail North’s commitment to delivering a better railway."
Northern say they are supporting jobs in the North through the company’s ongoing £600m modernisation programme.
