Improved rail services unlikely before end of 2028

The rail firm has said increasing services could take up to three years

A doubling of the number of trains to the Yorkshire coast depends on recruitment, training and funding, a rail operator has said.

York and North Yorkshire's mayor David Skaith wants to see the services between York and Scarborough increased to two per hour.

TransPennine Express, which operates the service, said it was recruiting additional drivers and conductors, but due to the training time required, it was unlikely it could offer additional services until December 2028.

A spokesperson for the firm said the "key thing" was to find funding to begin training, which can take up to two years.

"The quicker that we can get on with that, and if we can find the funding support and all of the necessary approvals, and everyone agrees, then you could have that enhanced service operating between Scarborough and York by Christmas 2028," said Graham Meiklejohn, of TransPennine Express.

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority said it was working with TransPennine Express, the government and other partners to "explore how we make this much-needed improvement happen as soon as possible".

"This includes all partners working together to fund all aspects of the increase in train service," it said.

The mayor, who has made additional trains a priority during his four-year term in office, said: "The whole York to Scarborough corridor is so important for visitors and commuters, but also for the growth of businesses.

"There are companies in Scarborough and Seamer looking to attract more employees and attract those high-skilled jobs, and with just one train an hour, it doesn't open up those opportunities".

Mayor David Skaith has prioritised improving transport links to the coast

Additional trains are a long-held ambition for businesses on the coast, who say the resort is being held back because of less frequent transport services.

The proposal for an increased service has been welcomed by the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, who have previously said audiences members leave early to avoid waiting a long time for the next train.

George Baker-Davis, from GEO Bar and Grill, sits on the Scarborough Tourism Board, said a more frequent rail service could relieve pressure on the A64 road as well,

"Obviously humans look for convenience, and even with the struggle the A64 poses, they still use that mode of transport.

"If there was some more consistency with trains, and more convenience in the increased frequency, I would love to think that could help both modes of transport."

The train company said it is planning a recruitment drive for staff

In 2023, TransPennine Express was one of the worst performing trains companies in the country with multiple trains to and from Scarborough being cancelled every day, leaving the coastal town with a skeleton service, according to the Office of Rail and Road.

The regulator said the cancellation rate rose from 5.8% to 17% - with trains cancelled up to 22:00 the night before for four weeks in March of that year due to staff shortages.

The company was taken over by the government in May 2023. Since transferring into public ownership, it said it had reduced cancellations by 75%.

The proposed service increase was also one of a number of rail priorities set out by Lord David Blunkett, a former Labour home secretary, in his report 'Yorkshire's Plan for Rail' published, earlier this year, in June.

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