The Conversation (0)
Kate Plummer
May 11, 2023
File:TransPennine Express 802201 at Hull, February 2019.jpg ...
The nationalisation of TransPennine Express has sparked a mass condemnation of privatisation.
The government announced it will take control of the service, which covers Manchester and Liverpool in the North of England and runs to Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, after a barrage of customer complaints of poor service and cancelled trains.
In January and February about a quarter of its services were cancelled - so it wasn't exactly doing well.
The Department for Transport said that TransPennine's contract would not be renewed on 28 May when it expires
It will now be run by an "Operator of Last Resort", which means a business will step in on behalf of the government to take over the management of the service.
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Transport Secretary Mark Harper said commuters and firms no longer had to bear "the brunt of continuous cancellations".
“In my time as transport secretary, I have been clear that passenger experience must always come first,” he said.
“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 – once again highlighting why it’s so important that the railways move to a seven-day working week.”
Here's what people had to say about the matter:
\u201cThe failed experiment of rail privatisation is falling apart for all to see.\n\nIt's time we brought the whole rail network under public ownership and control.\n\nhttps://t.co/DEChA6xegk\u201d— Kim Johnson MP (@Kim Johnson MP) 1683792732
\u201cTransPennine Express nationalised for catalogue of failings & poor service.\n\nHow much of the public subsidy will TPE return for providing shoddy services?\n\nEnd the privatisation scam - Bring the entire rail network into public ownership.\nhttps://t.co/c9tNlLncgy\u201d— Prem Sikka (@Prem Sikka) 1683788562
\u201cTransPennine Express loses its contract due to poor performance. \n\nAnother failure for privatised railways. Yet again the state has to step in to clean up the mess. \n\nPrivatisation has failed. It\u2019s time for public ownership.\u201d— Jon Trickett MP (@Jon Trickett MP) 1683792312
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely right that this is the end of the line for Transpennine Express.\n\nWe\u2019ve urged government to act for almost a year, as delays and cancellations damaged our economy and caused misery for commuters.\n\nAs the voice of passengers, I will continue to speak up for them.\u201d— Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire (@Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire) 1683791231
\u201cAfter months of needless damage, the Tories have finally accepted they can no longer defend the indefensible.\n\nBut this endless cycle of shambolic private operators failing passengers shows the Conservative's rail system is fundamentally broken.\nhttps://t.co/XYBWlT1xLE\u201d— Louise Haigh (@Louise Haigh) 1683788705
\u201cTransPennine Express is to be nationalised after customer complaints of poor service & cancelled trains.\n\nA good time to mention that the East Coast line in public ownership for 6 years made \u00a31bn for the Treasury & had customer satisfaction rates of 94%.\n\nNationalised rail works.\u201d— Howard Beckett (@Howard Beckett) 1683791525
\u201cAfter utterly abysmal services which have been a regular fixture of my mailbag for Warrington North commuters relying on them, I'm pleased to see TransPennine Express services are *finally* being taken under state control at the end of the month.\u201d— Charlotte Nichols (@Charlotte Nichols) 1683792670
TransPennine Express owner FirstGroup said it was "disappointed" by the government's decision not to renew the contract it has run in various guises since 2004.
"Our team have worked extremely hard to improve services, including by recruiting and training more drivers than ever before," said Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup's chief executive.
"Today's decision does not alter our belief in the important role of private rail operators in the delivery of vital, environmentally-friendly transport for customers and communities across the UK."
FirstGroup will continue to run Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, Hull Trains and Lumo.
What a palaver.
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