TransPennine Express loses contract due to poor service

TransPennine Express will lose its contract and be nationalised after complaints of poor service and cancelled trains.

The government has announced it will run the train service — under Operator of Last Resort — which operates throughout the North of England and parts of Scotland.

The decision follows months of significant disruption and regular cancellations across TransPennine Express’s network, which has resulted in a considerable decline in confidence for passengers who rely on the trains to get to work, visit family and friends and go about their daily lives.

TransPennine, which is run by the company FirstGroup, has stood out for the number of trains it has cancelled the night before they are due to run, because of staff shortages.

The decision to bring TransPennine Express into the control of the Operator of Last Resort is temporary and it is the Government’s full intention that it will return to the private sector.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said commuters and firms no longer had to bear ‘the brunt of continuous cancellations’.

Under Operator of Last Resort, services will run as normal with no changes to tickets, timetables or planned services with the Department committed to ensuring a seamless transition for passengers.

Mr Harper said: “In my time as Transport Secretary, I have been clear that passenger experience must always come first.

“After months of commuters and Northern businesses bearing the brunt of continuous cancellations, I’ve made the decision to bring TransPennine Express into Operator of Last Resort.

“This is not a silver bullet and will not instantaneously fix a number of challenges being faced, including ASLEF’s actions which are preventing Transpennine Express from being able to run a full service – once again highlighting why it’s so important that the railways move to a seven-day working week.

“We have played our part, but ASLEF now need to play theirs by calling off strikes and the rest day working ban, and putting the very fair and reasonable pay offer to a democratic vote of their members.”

Around one in six of its services were cancelled in March. This was the highest rate in the UK.