TransPennine Express is to be nationalised after months of delays and cancellations.
The rail company, which runs services between the North of England and Scotland, will be brought under UK Government control later this month.
Labour supported the move, with shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh saying ministers have “finally accepted they can no longer defend the indefensible”.
Latest figures show TransPennine Express cancelled the equivalent of one in six services across most of March.
The move will bring the proportion of journeys on Britain’s railways which are on nationalised services to around a quarter.
ScotRail was brought under Scottish Government control last year. LNER, which runs services between London and Edinburgh, was nationalised by the UK Government in 2018.
Haigh said: “This endless cycle of shambolic private operators failing passengers shows the Conservatives’ rail system is fundamentally broken.
“The next Labour government will end this sticking plaster politics by bringing our railways back into public ownership as contracts expire.”
Tory Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced that TransPennine services will be brought under its Operator of Last Resort from May 28.
He mentioned that the service had been badly affected by drivers who are members of the Aslef union no longer volunteering to work paid overtime shifts.
Harper 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.”
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