Transpennine Express has contract terminated as rail company is brought under govt control

Manchester Victoria station

Transpennine Express will not have its contract renewed at the end of the month, following months of significant disruption and regular cancellations.

The Transport Secretary’s decision not to renew or extend the contract will bring the company into Operator of Last Resort (OLR) from 28 May, meaning the service will be run by the government.

While some improvements have been made over the past few months, the Department for Transport has decided that to achieve the performance levels passengers deserve, and that the Northern economy needs, both the contract and the underlying relationships must be reset before returning control to the private sector.

The department says it recognises "a significant number of problems facing Transpennine Express stem from matters out of its control" including a backlog of recruitment and training drivers, reforming how the workforce operates and most notably, ASLEF’s decision to withdraw rest day working – preventing drivers from taking on overtime shifts and filling in gaps on services.

Under Operator of Last Resort, services will run as normal with no changes to tickets, timetables or planned services.

On a local level, Transpennine Express services run from Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly to Leeds via Huddersfield, as well as to Manchester Airport.

Transport Secretary, Mark 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.”

Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North, said: "We welcome the decision announced today by the Secretary of State to bring the contract under Operator of Last Resort (OLR) for TransPennine Express.

"The TfN Board’s position on this issue has been clear for some considerable time, that services need to significantly improve. While we have seen some improvements over recent months, to achieve the performance levels passengers expect and deserve, and that the northern economy needs, there is a need for a resetting of the operation.

“We will now look forward positively to discussing with our members and working with the government to ensure the best way to achieve a service that meets the expectations of those living and working in the north.”