TPE improvements since nationalisation “remarkable”

TransPennine Express, a train operating company in the north of England, has published its second annual results since being transferred into public ownership.

The publication came in the same week that South Western Railway was nationalised as part of Great British Railways, the government’s plan to bring UK railways back under its control.

According to the government’s Rail minister, Peter Hendy, the results are “remarkable” and set a “blueprint for Great British Railways.”

TPE, which serves Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds among its main hubs, said it had reduced cancellations by 75% since 20023. In the same period, it said it had increased the number of journeys taken on its services by 42%, and increased its revenues by 54%.

“These results mark a clear departure from the service’s previous struggles and show the Government’s commitment to putting passengers back at the heart of its plans for public ownership and ensuring services are reliable,” the company explained in a statement.

A key complaint from “stakeholders” in the period before 2023, when TPE’s franchise was held in private hands, was the “severe shortage of trained drivers” which led to “chronic service disruption”. The company said it has hired 63 drivers since May 2023 and increased satisfaction from 5% to 94%.

Hendy said the improvements were proof that bringing rail services under national government control was working and would work for other planned TOC takeovers.

“TransPennine Express’s remarkable turnaround shows exactly why we’re bringing our railways back into public ownership as part of our Plan for Change. These impressive results demonstrate what happens when we put passengers and communities first rather than private profit. 

“This is the blueprint for Great British Railways: a reliable, accessible, and value-for-money railway that serves the public and drives economic growth not only across the North but the whole country,” he noted.

TransPennine is currently operated via DfT Operator, previously known as DfT OLR [Operator of Last Resort] Holdings.

Nationalisation of industry, including but not limited to the railways and train operators, is a political issue in the UK.

The Leader of the Opposition, and leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch does not believe it is the correct way to run the economy.

Despite the positive results, she said: “This is yet another example of the unseriousness of the Labour Party who [sic] do not have a plan. We need to get Britain growing again, that means investing in business and not nationalising it.”.

She described nationalisation as a “burden” on taxpayers.

TPE was brought under state control in May 2023, when the Conservative Party was in government, and Badenoch herself was Secretary of State for Business and Trade.