TransPennine Express immediately suspends 12 of 26 extra rail services on new timetable

The December 2022 timetable, being introduced from today (Sunday), includes 26 additional services from TPE across the North.

But a stakeholder document, reported on Twitter by Financial Times journalist Jennifer Williams, has revealed the company is putting 12 of them on a partial or temporary hold. It follows on from thousands of train services being cancelled in recent months across different operators due to ongoing staffing issues.

The document states: “Whilst at the December 2022 timetable change the base timetable should see the introduction of 26 additional services per week day, we will on a temporary basis suspend in full or part the following 12 services from the outset.”

Those being affected include the 3.59am from Manchester Airport to Scarborough; the 5.00am from Manchester Victoria to Saltburn; the 6.14am from Liverpool to Cleethorpes which will instead start from Manchester Oxford Road at 7.08am; the 8.45am train from Saltburn to Manchester Airport and the 8.45am service from Scarborough to Manchester.

Also affected are the 12.44pm train from Manchester Airport to Saltburn; the 4.44pm Manchester Airport to Saltburn service which will stop in York; the 4.51pm Saltburn to Manchester Airport service; the 5.30pm Manchester to Scarborough service; the 8.40pm Manchester Airport to York service; the 8.51pm Saltburn to York train and a 10.45pm service between Scarborough and Manchester.

New timetables being introduced nationally from today will see a number of routes which suffered cuts earlier this year having more trains scheduled.

But there is concern that the failure to resolve staffing issues means the cancellation of thousands of trains in recent months will continue.

Many rail workers are refusing to volunteer for shifts on their rest days amid long-running industrial relations disputes. Operators will be heavily restricted in using new timetables next week due to strikes by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on December 13, 14, 16 and 17.

There is also a backlog with training new staff due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Operators have often resorted to removing trains from schedules the night before, meaning they are not officially classed as cancelled.

Timetable changes by TPE – one of the companies most affected by staffing problems – include reintroducing services between Manchester and Scotland via the West Coast Main Line and extending the route between Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire and Manchester to serve Liverpool.

A spokesperson for TransPennine Express said: “The December timetable change will see TPE introduce a small number of additional services per day across the network. Key to this will be the return of several services on the West Coast Mainline between Manchester (including the airport) and Scotland, as well as the extension of the Cleethorpes services to Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington. These are modest enhancements designed to improve connectivity on key routes and to work alongside the timetables of other operators.”

The spokesperson added: “This timetable is planned for the medium to long-term and it is important to ensure we are prepared, when operational challenges allow, to provide the services our customers need. However, the delivery of the timetable will be challenging from the outset as we continue to experience traincrew availability issues – ongoing high levels of sickness and an unprecedented training backlog – that have caused disruption for customers in recent months. Where cancellations and amendments are necessary, we will ensure these are communicated quickly and clearly to our customers.”

Earlier this week, Henri Murison, chief executive of business group Northern Powerhouse Partnership, expressed concern that the changes will not lead to improved performance with expected cancellations on the cards.

He said: “We needed a rest day working agreement by the end of last week in order to speed up the training process for new drivers, which is the root cause of this chaos on our railways.

“Having missed that deadline, TransPennine Express will not have enough fully trained drivers ready when the timetable change comes into effect this Sunday, meaning we’re likely to see continued disruption for the foreseeable.

“Instead of cancelling trains the night before, TPE should avoid putting in the timetable the services they know they won’t be able to run.”

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said she has been “pushing operators and Government to reinstate rail services that provide a lifeline to so many people in our region” as post-pandemic demand for train travel has “recovered more quickly in the North” than elsewhere.

She went on: “The revised timetable must deliver a more reliable service for passengers because our communities need a network that they can rely on to get to work, school or college.”