TransPennine Express has “completely failed” passengers in the North East and should be put under new ownership, the North of Tyne mayor says.
Jamie Driscoll and other mayors from across the North have called on the Government not to renew First Group’s contract to run services across the region, ahead of the current deal’s expiration on May 28. The Labour mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool and North of Tyne have penned a joint letter to the transport secretary, Mark Harper, warning that renewing the contract would be “rewarding failure and be a betrayal of passengers in the North” after months of problems.
The Office of Rail and Road recently reported that TransPennine (TPE) cancelled 23.8% of its services for the four weeks to March 4 – which worsened from 7.2% when adjusted to include pre-cancellations due to a shortage of train crew. TPE has been badly affected by a dispute that has led to drivers no longer volunteering to work paid overtime shifts.
