West Yorkshire Mayor welcomes end of TransPennine Express service

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, has said it's great news for frustrated rail passengers following the government's decision to strip TransPennine Express of its contract.

The company which runs trains in northern England and parts of Scotland, has become the fourth railway service to be nationalised by the UK government in just five years. Ministers stepped in to seize control of the struggling operator, owned by UK-listed FirstGroup, after months of cancelled trains and poor performance.

The Department for Transport said TransPennine's contract would not be renewed on May 28 and instead, it would be run by the 'operator of last resort' owned by the state.

About one in six TransPennine services were cancelled in March, the highest rate in the UK, causing misery for commuters in northern towns and cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.

After months of commuters and northern businesses bearing the brunt of continuous cancellations, Transport secretary Mark Harper said: "I've made the decision to bring TransPennine Express into Operator of Last Resort."

The company has blamed its poor service on driver shortages caused by a backlog of training and the refusal of drivers’ union Aslef to sign up to an overtime working agreement, which is common practice in the industry.

Tracy said: "Today marks the end of the line for failing railway operator TransPennine Express. This represents a fresh start for commuters and passengers in the north, who had to put up with substandard service for far too long.

"We know that change is not going to happen overnight, but this is an important reset moment, and I look forward to working with the new operator, unions and other key players to improve services, boost our economy and build a better-connected West Yorkshire."

References

1. ^{^} Breathtaking and lonely Yorkshire back road where you won't see another soul for miles (www.examinerlive.co.uk)