Updated
11.20

The
National
Rail
Contract
held
by
FirstGroup
to
run
Transpennine
Express
will
not
be
renewed
when
it
expires
on
28
May,
and
the
operation
will
be
taken
over
by
the
Department
for
Transport’s
Operator
of
Last
Resort.

The
decision
has
been
welcomed
by
opposition
politicians,
ASLEF
and
passenger
watchdog
Transport
Focus,
while
FirstGroup
said
it
was
‘disappointed’.

The
DfT
has
decided
not
let
FirstGroup
stay
in
control
after
what
it
described
as
‘months
of
disruption
and
regular
cancellations’,
which
has
‘resulted
in
a
considerable
decline
in
confidence’.

TPE
has
become
notorious
for
its
high
level
of
cancellations,
including
many
which
are
decided
the
previous
night
and
do
not
therefore
show
in
the
official
statistics.

Transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
said:
‘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.’

Mr
Harper’s
decision
will
also
be
welcomed
by
Mayors
in
the
city
regions
in
the
TPE
area,
who
have
voiced
strident
criticism
of
TPE’s
performance.

Meanwhile,
First’s
CEO
Graham
Sutherland
said:
‘We
have
operated
TransPennine
Express
and
its
forerunners
since
2004,
and
are
very
proud
to
have
served
the
communities
across
northern
England
and
into
Scotland,
carrying
millions
of
passengers
and
introducing
new
trains,
new
routes
and
more
seats
for
our
customers.
Our
team
have
worked
extremely
hard
to
improve
services,
including
by
recruiting
and
training
more
drivers
than
ever
before.
We
have
also
worked
closely
with
the
DfT
and
Transport
for
the
North
on
an
agreed
recovery
plan
as
well
as
an
improved
offer
on
overtime
working
for
our
drivers.’

Labour
shadow
transport
secretary
Louise
Haigh
responded
to
the
change
of
ownership
by
saying:
‘This
broken
service
has
comprehensively
failed
the
north.
After
months
of
needless
damage,
Conservative
ministers
have
finally
accepted
they
can
no
longer
defend
the
indefensible.

’But
this
endless
cycle
of
shambolic
private
operators
failing
passengers,
shows
the
Conservatives’
rail
system
is
fundamentally
broken.’

The
chair
of
the
Commons
Transport
Committee
Chair
Iain
Stewart
said:
‘Stripping
TransPennine
Express
of
its
contract
is
absolutely
the
right
call.
Tthere
was
no
realistic
expectation
it
would
improve,
unlike
with
Avanti
where
demonstrable
progress
was
being
made.
We
also
heard
about
extensive
use
of
so-called
‘p-coding’
–
where
if
a
service
was
removed
from
the
timetable
the
evening
before
it
wouldn’t
appear
in
the
cancellations
data.

‘A
range
of
factors
were
at
play.
TPE
was
among
train
operators
who
failed
to
recruit
enough
drivers
during
and
after
the
pandemic,
despite
having
their
revenue
guaranteed
by
the
Department
for
Transport
and
knowing
they
have
an 
ageing
workforce.
Upgrades
to
railway
lines
have
also
caused
disruption.
The
change
of
management
won’t
resolve
all
of
these
problems
overnight,
and
a
deal
needs
to
be
reached
with
ASLEF
on
rest-day
working,
pay
and
conditions.
I
will
be
asking
for 
details
about
how
the
Department
plans
to
deliver
the
better
service
that
passengers
deserve.’

Anthony
Smith
is
the
chief
executive
of
watchdog
Transport
Focus.
He
said:
‘TransPennine
Express
passengers
have
endured
an
unacceptable
service
for
too
long.
In
our
latest
survey
TransPennine
Express
was
rated
the
joint
worst
performing
train
operator
and
just
67
per
cent
of
passengers
were
satisfied
with
how
punctual
their
journey
was.

‘Whichever
organisation
runs
TransPennine
Express
rail
services,
under
whatever
contractual
arrangements,
passengers
will
want
to
see
a
much
more
reliable
service.
It’s
clear
that
passengers
deserve
better,
and
the
operator
needs
to
take
action
to
improve
performance
and
build
back
passenger
trust.’

Unions
have
welcomed
the
decision,
but
ASLEF
refuses
to
share
the
blame
for
the
problem. 

General
secretary
Mick
Whelan
said:
‘While
we
are
delighted
that
the
Transport
Secretary
has,
at
last,
done
the
right
thing
and
cancelled
the
lucrative
contract
of
this
failing
rail
company,
we
are
disappointed
that
he
is
trying
to
blame
ASLEF
–
rather
than
the
company’s
inept
management
–
for
its
many
problems.

‘TPE
management
is
famous
throughout
the
railway
industry
for
its
confrontational
approach.
The
company’s
drivers
–
our
members
–
will
not
be
intimidated
or
abused
by
TPE
managers.
That’s
what
we
have
made
clear
over
the
years
–
that’s
what
we
have
done
–
and
now
the
company
has
paid
the
price.

‘TPE
–
which
is
run
by
FirstGroup,
which
is
also
responsible
for
Avanti
West
Coast
and
all
its
problems
on
the
West
Coast
Main
Line
–
has
never
employed
enough
drivers
to
deliver
the
services
it
promised
to
run.
It
has
failed
to
recruit,
and
retain,
the
drivers
it
needs.
It
has
abused
staff,
tried
to
take
away
our
terms
and
conditions,
and
tried
to
force
through
changes
rather
than
negotiate
like
grown-ups.

’That’s
why
the
company
has,
frankly,
got
exactly
what
it
deserves
today.
And
what
it
has
been
working
so
hard
to
achieve.
Mark
Harper
–
who
is
not
a
stupid
man
–
knows
full
well
that
the
fault
lies
not
with
this
trade
union,
but
at
the
door
of
the
company
and
its
desperately
poor
managers.’

RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said
it
was
‘absolutely
right’
not
to
renew
or
extend
the
Transpennine
Express
contract,
something
for
which
the
union
had
campaigned.

He
continued:
‘First
should
now
also
lose
its
failed
Avanti
West
Coast
contract
as
part
a
return
of
all
our
railways
to
public
ownership.

‘With
other
parts
of
our
railway
already
nationalised
this
decision
should
now
mark
the
beginning
of
end
for
rail
privatisation
which
has
brought
nothing
but
chaos
for
passengers.

‘However,
it
is
disappointing
to
hear
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
saying
that
he
intends
to
return
TPE
to
the
private
sector
despite
the
shambles
the
service
has
become.’