TransPennine Express warns improvements will take time

Services may deteriorate further after the company is nationalised, a letter suggests

Services on the troubled train operator TransPennine Express (TPE) may deteriorate further after it is nationalised, it is claimed.

It was announced earlier this month that the government would run the service after customer complaints of poor service and cancelled trains.

A letter from the state-owned operator suggests some of the challenges may get worse in the weeks ahead.

However, the mayor of West Yorkshire called it a "fresh start".

TPE has been criticised for months over poor performance, with figures from the Office of Rail and Road showing that between January and March the operator cancelled 21.7% of the trains it runs across the North of England and into Scotland.

It will be run by the Operator of Last Resort (OLR) from Sunday.

It comes after the Labour mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool and North of Tyne asked the government not to renew FirstGroup's contract to run the service when it expires on 28 May.

A letter - sent to local officials and seen by BBC Look North - said: "The change should be seamless for customers and all employees who wish to do so will transfer.

"Our immediate focus must be to re-establish relationships, re-engage colleagues and rebuild trust with passengers."

However, it also warned that it was clear from an initial review of TPE's current plans that "they were even more stretched than we had understood".

"A number of drivers have decided not to transfer, we start in half-term week including a bank holiday, which will reduce staff availability further, and there are several days of strikes to manage," the letter read.

'Fresh start'

It also warned that there was "no quick fix" to some of the challenges and it would "take time before passengers start to see substantial improvement".

"I do ask for your support and patience during this time. Particularly as during our first few weeks of operation we expect some of those challenges to get worse," it said.

Tracy Brabin welcomed the move and said passengers in the North had put up with a substandard service for "far too long"

West Yorkshire's Labour Mayor Tracy Brabin said: "Today marks the end of the line for failing railway operator TransPennine Express.

"This represents a fresh start for commuters and passengers in the North, who had to put up with a substandard service for far too long.

"We know that change is not going to happen overnight, but this is an important reset moment, and I look forward to working with the new operator, unions and other key players to improve services, boost our economy and build a better-connected West Yorkshire."

TransPennine now joins LNER, Northern, South Eastern, Transport for Wales and Scot Rail as a government-owned rail company.

Off the Rails

UK's worst railway? A route to nationalisation - how did TransPennine's customers cope?

Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only)