- Transpennine Express’s contract will not be renewed on 28 May
2023
- Secretary of State for Transport asks northern mayors to work
with the government to improve services for passengers
- comes as single-leg pricing is extended across most of LNER
network resulting in simpler, more flexible tickets that offer
better value
The Transport Secretary has today (11 May 2023) announced he will
not renew or extend Transpennine Express’s (TPE) contract at the end of the
month. This will bring the company into operator of last resort
(OLR) from 28 May
2023.
The decision follows months of significant disruption and regular
cancellations across Transpennine Express’s network, which has
resulted in a considerable decline in confidence for passengers
who rely on the trains to get to work, visit family and friends
and go about their daily lives.
Alongside the train operating company, the Department for
Transport (DfT) has
taken steps to improve services, putting the operator on a
recovery plan in February and meeting with local mayors to
discuss a way forward.
While some improvements have been made over the past few months,
it has been 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.
While making the decision to bring Transpennine Express into
operator of last resort, the department recognises that a
significant number of problems facing TPE stem from matters out of its
control. These include 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.
The decision to bring Transpennine Express into the control of
the operator of last resort is temporary and it is the
government’s full intention that it will return to the private
sector.
In light of this, today’s decision will not instantaneously
resolve the challenges being faced on the lines, but will provide
an opportunity to reset relationships between the operator,
staff, trade unions and passengers.
As part of this and in response to stakeholders’ calls for
action, the Transport Secretary has asked the Department for
Transport to review services in the north to help drive
efficiency and find better ways to deliver for passengers across
the region. He also asks all interested parties including the
northern mayors and Transport for the North to engage with the
government on this work.
The government continues to urge the union to call off upcoming
strikes and the rest day working ban.
Transport Secretary, 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 7-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, putting the very fair and reasonable pay offer to a
democratic vote of their members.
Under operator of last resort, services will run as normal with
no changes to tickets, timetables or planned services with the
department committed to ensuring a seamless transition for
passengers.
The decision on TPE
comes as LNER today announced, after a successful trial, single
leg pricing will be extended across most of their network from 11
June 2023, with tickets going on sale this Sunday.
From mid-June 2023, LNER passengers will benefit from simpler,
more flexible, and better value ticketing as part of government’s
plans to improve services for passengers and bring the railways
into the 21st century.
Single-leg-pricing – which consists of removing return tickets in
favour of single-leg tickets priced at around half the cost of
the old return ticket – will simplify outdated and complicated
ticketing practices.
This means people will no longer have to choose between buying a
return ticket – which may not suit their plans – or taking the
risk of buying 2 singles which could individually cost just £1
less than a return ticket.
For example, a person wanting to buy an off-peak single from
Peterborough to Newcastle on the day of travel will now pay
£63.70 as opposed to £121.50 which saves almost £60.
This follows on from the Secretary of State setting out his
ambition for the rail sector at the George Bradshaw
address earlier this year, reiterating his commitment to
modernising the railways to ensure their commercial and financial
sustainability for years to come.
