The train company TransPennine Express is to be brought under Government control after "continuous cancellations" the Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said. 

The decision follows months of significant disruption and regular cancellations across TransPennine Express’s network, which has resulted in a considerable decline in confidence for passengers who rely on the network. 

The train operator runs services in the North of England, and across parts of Scotland, but has been plagued with cancellations and delays - with one in six of its services cancelled in March, the highest rate in the UK.

The Transport Secretary has today (May 11) announced he will not renew or extend TransPennine Express’s (TPE) contract at the end of the month, bringing the company into Operator of Last Resort (OLR) from May 28.

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A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: "Alongside the train operating company, the Department has taken steps to improve services, putting the operator on a recovery plan in February and meeting with local Mayors to discuss a way forward.

"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."

While making the decision to bring Transpennine Express into Operator of Last Resort, the Department has recognised that a "significant number of problems facing Transpennine Express stem from matters out of its control".

These include a backlog of recruitment and training drivers, reforming how the workforce operates and most notably, ASLEF’s decision to withdraw rest day working – preventing drivers from taking on overtime shifts and filling in gaps in services.

The decision to bring Transpennine Express into the control of the Operator of Last Resort is temporary and it is the Government have confirmed that it is their "full intention" that it will return to the private sector.   

Under Operator of Last Resort, services will run as normal with no changes to tickets, timetables or planned services with the Department committed to ensuring a seamless transition for passengers.

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Transport Secretary, Mark 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 – once again highlighting why it’s so important that the railways move to a seven-day working week.

“We have played our part, but ASLEF now need to play theirs by calling off strikes and the rest day working ban, and putting the very fair and reasonable pay offer to a democratic vote of their members.”