Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the move to strip TransPennine Express of its franchise.
Improving rail links has been a long-standing key policy push for the organisatin, with external affairs director David Hooper having previously brought TPE management together with business leaders and MPs to stress the importance of links to Manchester and reliability of connectivity to Doncaster for London, with little improvement monitored.
Relations were further frayed when the direct Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport service was replaced with a Liverpool route instead.
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It has greeted the intervention from Transport Secretary Mark Harper, with the region's MPs having made their thoughts clear in writing. Services will be brought into the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort model from May 28.
Mr Hooper said: “Some would say this is long overdue. The Chamber has campaigned for a long time for a better service from TransPennine Express for both banks of the Humber. We were disappointed the airport service was lost and we have campaigned long and hard on reliability, but to no avail.”
Following the meeting, Mr Hooper said little changed. “Services didn’t improve very much, and we have been blighted by reliability and service cancellations over the past 12 months. This led local MPs to write to the Transport Secretary asking for his move to happen, and we welcome it.
“Even today, the 6.53am train out of Hull, a key business train, was again cancelled. Now we hope to see a period of stability and reliability for the public, so they can have confidence that when they turn up for the train, the train will be there, on time.
“Because the service has been so unreliable, there are numerous stories of businesses bringing potential inward investors over from Manchester Airport in taxis, instead of inflicting old rolling stock and unreliable services on them. This area has had to put up with it for far too long.”
A decision on what would have been direct awards for up to eight years had been due, with Hull to Liverpool and Cleethorpes to Liverpool included.
West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin said: “It is absolutely right that this is the end of the line for failing railway operator TransPennine Express.
“We’ve been urging government to act for almost a year, as delays and cancellations have damaged our economy and subjected commuters in the North to sheer misery.
“This is a victory for northern mayors who rallied together to hold TransPennine Express and Rishi Sunak’s Government to account on this issue.
“We hope this allows an opportunity to reset relationships with staff who have bore the brunt of operator failings and look forward to hearing how the new operator intends to improve services.
“As the voice of passengers, I will continue to speak up for their interests first and foremost.”
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