British government takes control of rail service, plagued by delays and cancellations – 05/14/2023 – Market

The British state will take control of rail services offered by the private company TransPennine Express in northern England and parts of Scotland, after a series of delays and cancellations of rail journeys, the government announced on Thursday (11).

The Ministry of Transport reported that TransPennine’s contract will not be renewed after May 28.

Services managed by the company will then be handed over to “an operator of last resort”, meaning that a company will step in on behalf of the Executive to take over management.

“After months in which northern passengers and businesses suffered from constant cancellations, I have decided to place TransPennine Express services under operator of last resort status,” said Transport Minister Mark Harper.

One in six TransPennine Express rail journeys were canceled in March, the highest cancellation rate in the UK, where rail lines are operated by private companies.

“This is not a miracle solution and it will not instantly solve a series of problems,” he warned, blaming the Aslef train drivers’ union, which for months has been carrying out strikes for better wages at several British rail companies, for preventing TransPennine Express from owned by FirstGroup, offer a complete service.

“While there has been some progress in recent months, it has been decided that in order to achieve the levels of performance that passengers deserve and that the northern economy needs, the contract (…) must be revised,” the ministry said.

But the decision to entrust these services to a last resort operator is “temporary” and “the government has the firm intention of returning them to the private sector”, he emphasized.

Translated by Paulo Migliacci