TPE nationalised
By ‘Industry Update’
THE National Rail Contract held by FirstGroup for operating TransPennine Express services was not renewed when it expired on May 28, and from that date services are being provided by the Department for Transport ‘operator of last resort’ trading as TransPennine Trains.
The decision follows a prolonged period of service unreliability, with cancellations amounting to 17% of the timetable in March this year.
It is a disappointing end for one of the most successful franchises, which was formed in 2004 when the original Northern Spirit (Regional Railways North East) and First North Western (Regional Railways North West) contracts were remapped to create the Northern and TransPennine Express contracts.
This was the result of the Strategic Rail Authority identifying there was an unrealised potential for interurban express services between the main population centres in Northern England; a theme that was to be developed with the more ambitious Northern Powerhouse Rail proposal that included the construction of new high speed lines.