Train services run by operator TransPennine Express will be brought under government control due to 'continuous cancellations'.
The decision comes following renewed calls from Greater Manchester and the north for TPE to be stripped of its contract when it expires at the end of May. The Manchester Evening News revealed in February that the train operator cancelled almost a quarter of all its trains in a month, including more than 1,000 the night before they were due to run.
Office of Rail and Road (ORR) data was then published, which revealed the company's cancellation score from March 5-31 was 17.0 per cent when adjusted to include pre-cancellations due to train crew shortages.
