The
future
of
FirstGroup’s
Transpennine
Express
is
in
the
balance,


just
over
a
month
before
the
present
National
Rail
Contract
runs
out
on
28
May.

Transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
has
told
MPs
that
‘no
option
is
off
the
table’,
because
he
is
‘driven
by
the
service
that’s
experienced
by
passengers’.

TPE
attracted
widespread
criticism
when
the
number
of
its
cancellations
grew,
including
many
which
were
decided
the
night
before
and
not
therefore
included
in
the
published
statistics.
However,
when
included
they
show
that
TPE
has
cancelled
more
services
than
any
other
operator
in
recent
times.

Mr
Harper
told
the
Commons
Transport
Select
Committee:
‘I’ve
got
to
be
careful
about
making
a
decision
that
is
legally
defensible.
I’ve
got
to
go
through
a
proper
process
to
look
at
the
evidence
in
front
of
me.

‘And
when
I’ve
made
that
decision,
in
the
same
way
I
did
with
Avanti,
I
will
set
it
out
in
Parliament
in
the
usual
way.
But
there’s
a
limit
to
what
I
can
say
today
in
terms
of
pre-judging
having
taken
that
decision.

‘I
haven’t
taken
that
decision
yet,
and
I’ve
got
to
look
at
all
of
the
evidence
in
front
of
me.

‘But
I’ve
been
clear
that
I’m
driven
by
the
service
that’s
experienced
by
passengers
and
no
option
is
off
the
table.
You
and
other
colleagues,
my
own
colleagues
from
my
party
and
colleagues
from
across
the
House
and
the
metro
mayors,
have
made
it
very
clear
that
the
current
level
of
service
is
not
something
that
their
constituents
are
satisfied
with,
and
I’ve
heard
that
message
loud
and
clear.’

The
last
TPE
franchise
began
on
1
April
2016,
but
like
the
others
was
replaced
by
an
Emergency
Measures
Agreement
in
March
2020
because
of
the
Covid
pandemic.
Franchises
were
abolished
later
that
year,
and
TPE’s
present
National
Rail
Contract
was
signed
in
May
2021.