TransPennine Express
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![]() TwoClass 802units belonging to TransPennine Express passingNorthallertonin opposite directions | |||
Overview | |||
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Franchise(s) | TransPennine Express 28 May 2023 – present | ||
Main route(s) | |||
Parent company | DfT OLR Holdings | ||
Reporting mark | TP | ||
Predecessor | TransPennine Express (2016–2023) | ||
Other | |||
Website | www | ||
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TransPennine Trains Limited,trading asTransPennine Express(TPE),[1]is a Britishtrain operating companythat has operated passenger services in the TransPennine Express franchise area since May 2023. It runs regional andinter-cityrail services between the major cities and towns ofNorthern Englandand Scotland. The company, which is government-owned, was established following poor performance by the previous commercially-owned operator, also calledTransPennine Express.It has carried over the rolling stock, passenger services, and branding.
History
[edit]During the early 2020s, the incumbent operator of the TransPennine Express franchise,FirstGroup'sTransPennine Express,suffered severe disruption of its services, which was largely attributable to events such as theCOVID-19pandemic and the2022–2023 United Kingdom railway strikes.[2][3] On 11 May 2023, following numerous cancellations and service disruptions, theDepartment for Transport(DfT) announced that First Group's contract to operate the franchise would not be renewed and, as a result, TPE would cease operations on 28 May 2023.[4][5]In its place, operations were taken over byoperator of last resort(OLR) TransPennine Trains.[6][7]
The performance of TransPennine Trains has been criticised, being amongst the least punctual train operators during 2023 and having a cancellation rate that exceeded one in eight trains during summer 2023.[8]In October 2023, the operator announced that it would be temporarily cutting services from 320 services per day to 300, reducing off-peak trains between the cities ofLeedsandManchester,with the goal of improving both punctuality and reliability. TransPennine Trains' managing director, Chris Jackson, stated that this move allowed for greater driver training and helped to stabilise the timetable, and that the operator would reintroduce the full timetable by December 2024 at the latest.[9][10]Shortly thereafter, the company released a new timetable comparison tool to aid customers in interpreting the service levels and changes enacted.[11]
During early December 2023, TransPennine Trains' services were disrupted byindustrial actionas the train drivers belonging to theAssociated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen(ASLEF)trade unionimplemented a ban onovertimeand a series of rolling strikes.[12]That same month, the operator reinstated direct train services betweenCastlefordandYorkfor the first time in 50 years; this service change was facilitated by recent infrastructure improvement work undertaken as part of theTranspennine Route Upgrade(TRU).[13][14]
Services
[edit]TransPennine Trains took over all services operated by its predecessor,TransPennine Express,on 28 May 2023.[15][16]
The TransPennine Express routes are subdivided into three operations:
- North Route, which includes all routes that pass through the core section betweenManchester station groupandLeeds;
- Anglo-Scottish Route, which consists of services on the West Coast Main Line;
- South Route, which includes services running on theHope Valley lineand theSouth Humberside Main Line.[17]
As of December 2023, the following services operate off-peak, seven days a week:[18]
Peak hours
[edit]Following the December 2023 timetable change the following changes are made to services during peak hours:
- ANorthern Trainsservice betweenHuddersfieldandCastlefordwas transferred to TransPennine Express. This was converted to a peak hour extension of theManchester PiccadillytoHuddersfieldservice to extend toYorkcalling additionally atDeighton,Mirfield,Wakefield Kirkgate,andNormanton.[21]This service runs 1 train every 2 hours at peak times.
- TheHull ParagontoManchester Piccadillyservice terminates atManchester Victoria[18]instead ofManchester Piccadillyand does not stop at stations betweenLeedsandHuddersfield.It also makes an additional stop atStalybridge.2 trains a day run toLiverpool Lime Streetcalling additionally atLea Green(2tpd) andNewton-le-Willows(1tpd). Only the first train makes a return trip to Hull Paragon calling at Lea Green.
- Additional hourly services are added betweenManchester PiccadillyandLeeds[18]and some Manchester Piccadilly toHuddersfieldservices are extended toLeeds.These services have varying stopping patterns ranging from stopping at all stations to only stopping at Huddersfield. These services allow for more express services between Manchester and Leeds as well as ensuring 2tph to stations between Manchester and Leeds during peak times
- Liverpool Lime StreettoNewcastleservices will sometimes not stop atStalybridgeorDewsbury[18]during peak times due to theManchester VictoriatoHull Paragon(Stalybridge) andManchester PiccadillytoLeeds(Dewsbury) services stopping at these stations instead. 1tpd in each direction will not stop atLea Greendue to the Liverpool Lime Street to Hull Paragon service calling there instead.
Routes
[edit]
North Route
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South Route
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Times shown are best times from
Liverpool Lime Street. |
Anglo-Scottish Route
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Rolling stock
[edit]Upon commencing operations, TransPennine Express inherited the fleet of the previous franchisee. Various minor refurbishment programmes were quickly enacted. The oldest trains in the fleet, theClass 185multiple-units, were subject to an interior deep clean, which included the replacement of all carpets. Furthermore, all of the seats were recovered and improvements to the onboard toilet facilities were made.[22]By late 2023, TransPennine Express had also formulated its new trains programme, a longer-term initiative in which the operator stated its intention to introduce new technologies to supportdecarbonisation,the acceleration of efforts to cascade and eventually entirely remove diesel trains from its fleet, and enact a new long-term depot and maintenance strategy.[23]
During September 2023, following a radical review by the DfT, it was announced that TransPennine Express'sNova 3train sets, comprisingClass 68diesel locomotives hauling rakes ofMark 5Acarriages, had been scheduled for withdrawal.[24]This rolling stock was relatively new, yet had been beset by multiple challenges including technical issues, driver training, a downturn in passengers due toCOVID-19,and noise complaints from neighbours of theScarboroughmaintenance facility, which resulted in a persistently low utilisation rate being achieved. The DfT believes that the withdrawal of the Nova 3 sets can be adequately offset by maximising the utilisation of other trains, such as 19Class 802bi-mode train sets and the Class 185 DMUs.[24]Chris Jackson, managing director of TransPennine Express, has advocated for the need to simplify the operator's fleet, resource planning, and overall business strategy.[25]
Current fleet
[edit]Family | Class | Image | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | ||
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mph | km/h | ||||||||
Diesel–hydraulic multiple units | |||||||||
Siemens Desiro | 185 | ![]() |
100 | 160 | 51[26] | 3 | North Route
South Route
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2005–06 | |
Bi-mode multiple units | |||||||||
Hitachi AT300 | 802Nova 1 | ![]() |
125[27] | 200[27] | 19[26] | 5 | North Route
Anglo-Scottish Route
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2017–19 | |
Electric multiple units | |||||||||
CAF Civity | 397Nova 2 | 125 | 200 | 12[26] | 5 | Anglo-Scottish Route
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2017–19[28] | ||
Past fleet
[edit]Locomotive hauled stock | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Family | Class | Image | Type | Top Speed | Qty. | Carriages | Routes Operated | Built | Withdrawn | |
mph | km/h | |||||||||
Stadler UKLight | 68 | ![]() |
Diesel locomotive | 100[29] | 160 | 14[30] | 5 | North Route
(Until 2023)
(Until July 2023)
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2016–17 | 2023[31] |
CAF | Mark 5ANova 3 | Coach | 125 | 200 | 52 | 2017–18 | ||||
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Driving Trailer | 14[32] | ||||||||
References
[edit]- ^"TransPennine Express transfers to government operator".TransPennine Express.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2023.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^"Rail strike: RMT union votes for national action".BBC News.24 May 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2022.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"National Rail Contract TransPennine Express"(PDF).Department for Transport. 19 May 2021.Archived(PDF)from the original on 7 March 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"TransPennine Express loses contract over poor service".BBC News.11 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^Topham, Gwyn (11 May 2023)."TransPennine Express nationalised for catalogue of failings and poor service".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS TO TRANSFER TO GOVERNMENT OPERATOR".TransPennine Express. 11 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"Transpennine Express to be brought into operator of last resort".GOV.UK.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
- ^Topham, Gwyn (7 December 2023)."TransPennine Express cancelled more than one in eight trains over summer".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 15 August 2024.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"TransPennine Express announces service cuts to boost punctuality".BBC News. 19 October 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^Calder, Simon (10 December 2023)."Manchester trains to Leeds and London cut 'to improve reliability'".The Independent.
- ^White, Chloe (28 November 2023)."TransPennine Express release a new Timetable Comparison Tool to support customers with December's Timetable Change".Rail Advent.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^Topham, Gwyn (1 December 2023)."Nine days of rail disruption begins as Aslef industrial action gets under way".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 15 August 2024.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^Clarke, Leanne (11 December 2023)."Castleford back on line as TransPennine reinstates links to York after 50 years".Wakefield Express.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"Castleford to York direct trains to run on route again after 50 years".BBC News. 11 December 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 15 August 2024.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"TransPennine Express services to be nationalised from this weekend".York Press. 25 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 28 May 2023.Retrieved28 May2023.
- ^"TransPennine Express comes under government control".BBC News.28 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 28 May 2023.Retrieved29 May2023.
- ^"TransPennine Express Route Map (Geographic)"(PDF).Manchester:TransPennine Express.Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 August 2024.Retrieved28 May2023.
- ^abcd"Timetables".Manchester:TransPennine Express.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2020.Retrieved16 December2023.
- ^Doe, Barry (13 December 2023). "All change at midenight for the latest NRT".Rail.No. 998. Peterborough: Bauer. p. 35.ISSN0953-4563.
- ^ab"Timetable Anglo-Scottish Route".timetables.tpexpress.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2020.Retrieved15 August2024.
- ^Stone, Mike (January 2024). "The new December timetable".Today's Railways.No. 263. Sheffield: Platform 5. p. 35.ISSN1475-9713.
- ^"TransPennine Express lays out plans to improve services".railuk. 19 October 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^Wilcock, Rich (19 October 2023)."TransPennine Express releases blueprint for improving service and fleet upgrade".railtechnologymagazine.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^ab"UK TransPennine Express to withdraw nearly new" Nova 3 "train sets".railtech. 5 September 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2023.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^"Fully staffed' TransPennine Express 'needs to become simpler'".Railway Gazette International.19 July 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2024.Retrieved23 December2023.
- ^abcFord, Roger (July 2024). "New train procurements generates cost challenges". Informed sources.Modern Railways.Vol. 81, no. 910. pp. 36–42.
- ^ab"Speed limiters for Hitachi fleets". Traction & Stock.The Railway Magazine.Vol. 168, no. 1457. August 2022. p. 92.
- ^"More new trains for the North and Scotland".First Transpennine Express. 20 May 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2016.Retrieved28 May2023.
- ^"Class 68 Specification".Rail Magazine.October 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 19 April 2016.Retrieved28 May2023.
- ^"New-build DRS Class 68s to operate TPE's Mk 5 rakes".Archivedfrom the original on 30 March 2017.Retrieved28 May2023– via PressReader.
- ^"TPE says farewell to Class 68s".Rail Magazine.No. 999. 28 December 2023. p. 8.
- ^"First view of TransPennine livery on a Class 68 loco".The Railway Magazine.28 October 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 15 August 2024.Retrieved28 May2023.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)