Travellers in the north have been familiar with chaos on the rails for years
TransPennine Express has just become the second operator of trains serving Greater Manchester to be brought under government control after months of poor performance. It was a decision welcomed by leaders and residents across the north after consistent disruption had left travellers regularly frustrated.
At least 1,048 services were cancelled using a loophole known as P-codes, in which trains are removed from systems by 10pm the evening before, but do not count towards official cancellation figures. This meant passengers could wake up and find their planned service had simply disappeared from the system.
According to a survey by watchdog Transport Focus, TPE was voted the joint worst performing train operator by customers. Anthony Smith, Transport Focus’s chief executive, said in a statement: “TransPennine Express passengers have endured an unacceptable service for too long. In our latest survey, TransPennine Express was rated the joint worst performing train operator and just 67 per cent of passengers were satisfied with how punctual their journey was.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester awaits infrastructure upgrades. The Manchester Evening News has long asked politicians when platforms 15 and 16 will be built at Manchester Piccadilly and when Oxford Road station will be expanded. These, along with other measures such as the completed Ordsall Chord, are supposed to help ease the bottleneck that is the Castlefield Corridor, a major factor in the crisis of 2018.
“As Mayors, we have spoken up consistently for long-suffering rail passengers in the North. I am glad the Government has listened,” he said. “We will now work with them to restore trust in train services and build a railway people can rely on.”
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