Greenfield commuters are hoping for a reprieve after the Government announced train operator TransPennine Express would be brought under government control.
The news comes after months of cancellations and issues with services across the TransPennine network.
Commuters at Greenfield station, one of Oldham’s only railway stations, had been badly affected by the cancellations.
Late last month, we reported scores of cancellations at the station, with more than nine in ten trains cancelled on one morning service.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced the decision to bring the operator’s services under Government control from, but warned it is “not a silver bullet”.
Graham Sutherland, chief executive of TransPennine Express owner FirstGroup, insisted the company has “worked extremely hard to improve services”.
Failsworth and Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner said the service has ‘comprehensively failed the north,’ and called for nationalisation of the entire railway network, calling the privatised rail system ‘fundamentally broken’.
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams tweeted: “TransPennine have provided appalling services to my constituents either through late services or cancellations.
“I raised this earlier this year in Parliament and I'm glad that the Government has finally listened and will bring the service into public control by the end of this month.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) said services will be brought under its Operator of Last Resort from May 28.
This will bring the proportion of journeys on Britain’s railways which are on nationalised services to around a quarter, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
Greenfield commuter praises ‘step in right direction’
David Wheeler, a member of the Greenfield Rail Action Group, has been using the station for 20 years.
David, who commutes between Greenfield and Manchester, was cautiously optimistic about the change, calling it a ‘step in the right direction’.
He added: “Hopefully they can engage with the rail unions now and overcome the problems, which have been beset with the railways for a number of months.”
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Speaking on his experience of using the station over the last few months, David said: “It’s terrible, every night before you go to bed you check the rail times, and every morning you check them before you leave the house.
“In a week, going to work normally two of them will be cancelled, and on the way home another two.
“On a personal note, I would be keen to take the Huddersfield to Manchester service away from First and restore it back to Northern, it was better with Northern and I think First are not a rail provider who do all-stopping services – that is not their core business, their core business is Newcastle to Liverpool, Hull to Manchester, etc.
“That would give them more drivers and trains, and perhaps Northern who are experienced in running stopping services would do a better job.”
When The Oldham Times analysed the performance of Oldham’s two train stations last month – Mills Hill, with services by Northern, and Greenfield, with services by TransPennine – Greenfield had a much higher rate of cancellations.
Across its network, TransPennine Express passengers have suffered from widespread delays and cancellations over the past year.
The operator has been badly affected by drivers who are members of the Aslef union no longer volunteering to work paid overtime shifts.
Latest figures show TransPennine Express cancelled the equivalent of one in six services across most of March.
Transport secretary calls on unions to ‘play their part’
Mr Harper said: “In my time as Transport Secretary, I have been clear that passenger experience must always come first.
“After months of commuters and northern businesses bearing the brunt of continuous cancellations, I’ve made the decision to bring TransPennine Express into Operator of Last Resort.
“This is not a silver bullet and will not instantaneously fix a number of challenges being faced, including Aslef’s actions which are preventing TransPennine Express from being able to run a full service.”
He added that the DfT has “played our part but Aslef now need to play theirs” by calling off strikes and the ban on rest day working.
Union blames ‘inept management’
The union’s general secretary Mick Whelan accused Mr Harper of “trying to blame Aslef – rather than the company’s inept management – for its many problems”.
Mr Whelan claimed TransPennine Express is getting “exactly what it deserves” as it has “never employed enough drivers”.
Mayor Andy Burnham ‘glad’
On Twitter, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: “As Mayors, we have spoken up consistently for long-suffering rail passengers in the North.
“I am glad the Government has listened. We will now work with them to restore trust in train services and build a railway people can rely on.”
Transport body speaks out
Lord McLoughlin, chair of Transport for the North, the country’s first statutory sub-national transport body, said: “We welcome the decision announced today by the Secretary of State to bring the contract under Operator of Last Resort (OLR) for TransPennine Express.
“The TfN Board’s position on this issue has been clear for some considerable time, that services need to significantly improve.
“While we have seen some improvements over recent months, to achieve the performance levels passengers expect and deserve, and that the northern economy needs, there is a need for a resetting of the operation.
“We will now look forward positively to discussing with our members and working with the government to ensure the best way to achieve a service that meets the expectations of those living and working in the north.”
Department for Transport weighs in
The DfT put TransPennine Express on a recovery plan in February after Mr Harper met local mayors to discuss a way forward.
The department said: “While some improvements have been made over the past few months, it has been decided that to achieve the performance levels passengers deserve, and that the northern economy needs, both the contract and the underlying relationships must be reset.”
It added: “The decision to bring TransPennine Express into the control of the Operator of Last Resort is temporary and it is the Government’s full intention that it will return to the private sector.”
FirstGroup will continue to run Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, Hull Trains and Lumo.
The Government’s Operator of Last Resort already runs London North Eastern Railway, Northern and Southeastern services, while ScotRail and Transport for Wales are run by the Scottish and Welsh Governments respectively.
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