It's responsible for getting thousands of people in and out of Liverpool and across the North of England every day.
But rail operator TransPennine Express has in recent months been blasted by passengers, MPs and the Government for its unacceptably poor performance.
In one four-week period this year the company cancelled 1,048 trains before 10.30pm the day before they were due to run, leaving passengers struggling to get to work or vital appointments.
The number of cancellations due to a shortage of available train crew in the four weeks to February 4 far outstrips any other rail operator, with government-owned Northern recording just 182.
Many Labour politicians say there is no hope for the company and the only solution is to strip it of its contract to run train services in the North of England.
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Analysis by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority found a total of 23,153 services will be cancelled by the FirstGroup-owned company this year if the current rate continues.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has hauled in TPE managing director Matthew Golton for a “frank conversation” and is examining a recovery plan produced by TPE, whose current contract expires in May.
The firm has blamed high sickness levels, a driver training programme and a lack of a 'rest day working' agreement where crews work on their days off to cover roster gaps.
Bringing TPE's services under the control of a government-owned operator of last resort would be a repeat of what's happened in recent years with Northern and services on the East Coast Mainline, which are now run by LNER.
Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said recently: "It's not a total panacea because the system as a whole is broken, but it has delivered short term improvements in it, and it has been more reliable to be delivered by the operator of last resort. So we think that is definitely in the best interest of passengers."
Government Rail Minister Huw Merriman says TPE services were not good enough but whoever took over services "is going to end up in the exact same situation because the situation is underlying reform".
He called for the union Aslef to accept the Government's offer to restore rest day working on TPE, which expired a few months ago and wasn't renewed, so drivers can be trained up to ensure in the short term fewer trains are cancelled.
The Tory Minister explained that with sickness rates of 14% on TPE and a lack of rest-day working, if a drivers calls in sick their train has to be cancelled. And he said train crews can book holidays 48 hours in advance, making it impossible to plan.
Hear more from Louise Haigh on TransPennine Express in The Northern Agenda podcast
He said: "Tescos wouldn't operate like this. And our passengers need the trains to operate in the same way that if you go to Tesco, with the exception of the fruit and veg aisle, and get your service, that's what you've gone there for."
Earlier this month MD Matthew Golton said he'd offered union Aslef "time-and-a-half" to work overtime in a deal worth at least £480 to a driver per shift.
But Aslef officials rejected this offer as it falls short of what drivers got before the rest-day working agreement was cancelled in 2021.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "TPE does not have enough drivers. Because, if it did, it would not need rest day working. But it doesn’t. TPE has consistently failed to recruit and retain the drivers it needs to run the services it should."
