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| Overview | |||
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| Franchises | TransPennine Express 1 April 2016 – 28 May 2023[1] | ||
| Main routes | North West England,Yorkshire and the Humber,North East England,Scotland | ||
| Fleet | |||
| Stations operated | 19 | ||
| Parent company | FirstGroup | ||
| Reporting mark | TP | ||
| Predecessor | First TransPennine Express | ||
| Successor | TransPennine Trains trading as TransPennine Express | ||
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First TransPennine Express Limited, trading asTransPennine Express (TPE),[2] was a Britishtrain operating company owned byFirstGroup that operated the TransPennine Express franchise. It ran regional andinter-city rail services between the major cities and towns ofNorthern England and Scotland.
The franchise operated almost all its services to and throughManchester covering three main routes. The service provided rail links for major towns and cities such asEdinburgh,Glasgow,Liverpool,Sheffield,Hull,Leeds,York,Scarborough,Cleethorpes,Middlesbrough andNewcastle upon Tyne. TPE ran trains 24 hours a day, including through New Year's Eve night. TPE trains ran betweenYork,Leeds andManchester Airport at least every three hours every night of the week. The franchise operated across theWest Coast Main Line,Huddersfield Line,East Coast Main Line and part of theTees Valley line.
The majority of TPE'srolling stock was procured during the late 2010s underProject Nova. These consist of theNova 1 (Class 802)BMU trainsets, theNova 2Class 397CAF CivityEMUs, and theNova 3Mark 5A fixed-formation carriages paired withClass 68diesel locomotives. These replaced older rolling stock, such as theBombardier Turbostar170/3s andSiemens Desiro350/4s, as well as some of their Siemens Desiro185s, although these were still used on some routes. TPE had facilitated an operational shift towards more inter-city style services, although thecommuter market remains important.
In May 2023, following a period of poor performance, it was announced that the company's contract would not be renewed and the service taken over by government-ownedoperator of last resortTransPennine Trains on 28 May 2023, who have continued trading under theTransPennine Express name. The decision to bring the service under the control of the operator of last resort was described as temporary, and it was said to be the then-UK government's intention that the franchise would be privatised again.
The TransPennine Express brand was launched in the early 1990s byBritish Rail'sRegional Railways sector.[4] It became part of Regional Railways North East and, on 2 March 1997, wasprivatised along with the majority of British Rail. Its first private sector operator, Northern Spirit, as well as its successor,Arriva Trains Northern, opted to maintain the brand.[5]
In 2000, theStrategic Rail Authority announced that it planned to reorganise the North West Regional Railways and Regional Railways North East franchises operated byFirst North Western and Arriva Trains Northern. A TransPennine Express franchise would be created for the long-distance regional services, the remaining services being operated by a newNorthern franchise.[6]
In July 2003, the TransPennine franchise was awarded to ajoint venture betweenFirstGroup andKeolis, and the services operated by Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western were transferred toFirst TransPennine Express on 1 February 2004.[7] On 11 November 2007, the services from theManchester station group toEdinburgh Waverley andGlasgow Central via theWest Coast Main Line formerly operated byVirgin CrossCountry were transferred to First TransPennine Express.[8]
In August 2014, theDepartment for Transport (DfT) announced FirstGroup, Keolis/Go-Ahead andStagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the next franchise.[9] During December 2015, FirstGroup was awarded the franchise of TransPennine Express. The effective start date of the new franchise was 1 April 2016 and it was scheduled to run until 31 March 2023, with an option to extend for two years.[10][11][12] The company remained First TransPennine Express, but branded the services as TransPennine Express.
As part of a recasting of the franchise map by the DfT, services fromManchester Airport toBlackpool North; Manchester Airport toBarrow-in-Furness; andOxenholme Lake District toWindermere were transferred to theNorthern franchise on 1 April 2016.[13]
In May 2021, following various COVID-19 emergency measures, the company was given a direct award contract by the DfT running until 28 May 2023.[1]
TransPennine Express was one of several train operators impacted by the2022–2023 United Kingdom railway strikes, which were the first national rail strikes in the UK for three decades.[14] Its workers were amongst those who are participating inindustrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions.[15]
On 11 May 2023, after months of continued cancellations and service disruptions, the DfT announced that the company's contract would not be renewed with TPE ceasing operations on 28 May 2023.[16][17] Instead, the service was taken over byoperator of last resortTransPennine Trains.[18][19][20]
The TransPennine Express routes were subdivided into three operations:
As of December 2022, TransPennine Express operated the following services off-peak, seven days a week:[22]
When TransPennine Express began operation, it inherited a fleet of fourClass 170 and 51Class 185 DMUs, as well as tenClass 350/4 EMUs, from First TransPennine Express. The Class 170s were transferred toChiltern Railways, where they were converted toClass 168s.[23] Originally it was planned after all the new trains in theNova fleet entered service, 22 of the 51 Class 185 DMUs would be returned toEversholt Rail Group.[24] However these remained with the franchise and allowed services to be strengthened.[25] Further cascades of rolling stock occurred over time; shortly following the introduction of theClass 397 sets during 2020, all ten of the Class 350 EMUs were transferred toWest Midlands Trains.[26]
Upon its instatement, TransPennine Express (TPE) services were particularly heavily trafficked; prior to 2018, the operator reportedly operated the busiest trains in the country, and it was common for some passengers to be unable to be seated duringrush hour.[27] Reportedly, the franchise also aimed to reorientation its operations towards inter-city services over its inter-urban routes, although it shall continue to transport large numbers of commuters regardless. As a means of addressing these factors, TPE launchedProject Nova, under which the vast majority of their existing rolling stock would be replaced by new-build trainsets with greater capacity. During 2016, TPE signed contracts valued at £500 million with Spanish rolling stock manufacturerConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) to produce the majority of itsNova rolling stock.[26][27] TheNova fleet is divided into three distinct categories; theNova 1 being (Class 802) BMU sets derived from theHitachi A-train family, theNova 2 trainsets being CAF-builtClass 397Civity EMUs, and theNova 3 sets consisting of locomotive-hauled CAF-builtMark 5A coaches.[27]
TheNova 1 fleet had originally been ordered by TPE's predecessor as part of plans to bolster route capacity by 80%; having contracted withHitachi Rail Europe for the latter to supply 19 five-carbi-mode trainsets.[27] According to Robin Davis, TPE's head of new trains, a major rationale behind theNova 1 fleet was its bi-mode capability, noting that electrification ambitions often had much uncertainty, while a bi-mode fleet eliminated the operational risk to such uncertainty. Davis also noted that, in the event of largescale electrification being funded and implemented, the Class 802s could have some of their engines removed to reduce roughly 15% of their weight and thus raise their efficiency.[27] Furthermore, Leo Goodwin, TPE's managing director, has observed that while the Class 802s will have an initial maximum speed of 125 mph, they have the capability of being modified for operating at 140 mph if infrastructure upgrades were to permit such speeds at a future date.[27]
TheNova 2 trainsets were CAF-built Class 397 EMUs, the design being a member of the preexisting Civity range.[27] Davis observed the Class 397 procurement to be a natural fit in light of TPE's desire to rapidly increase capacity and CAF's reputation for speedily producing limited batches of trains. While the Class 397 is capable of attaining a maximum speed of 125 mph, it is limited to a service speed of 100 mph.[27]
TheNova 3 trainsets use Mark 5A carriages, locomotive-hauled and designed for its inter-city routes.[27] The choice to procure carriages was unusual for the UK market; it was reportedly the first procurement of such rolling stock since theMark 4 sets for theInterCity 225 during the late 1980s. Davis claims that the expense of constructing DMUs suitable for inter-city services was prohibitive in comparison, and notes that it is to be operated as a fixed-formation push-pull train, not relying on run-arounds as historically performed by locomotive-hauled sets.[27] From the onset, it was planned for these to be hauled by a small fleet ofClass 68 locomotives, requiring minor control-oriented modifications byStadler to do so. According to franchise documents filed with theDepartment for Transport (DfT), considerations have been made to alternatively hauling theNova 3 carriages withClass 88bi-mode locomotives, which are closely related to the Class 68; however, this would be dependent on relatively ambitious, and thus far unfunded, suggestions for widespread electrification in the region being fulfilled.[27]
On 24 August 2019, the first new trains of theNova fleet entered revenue service; these were theNova 3 sets, comprising a Class 68 locomotive and a rake of Mark 5A coaches.[28] On 28 September 2019, theNova 1 (Class 802) sets followed,[29] while operations of theNova 2 trainsets (Class 397) commenced on 30 November 2019.[30] TPE officially launched theNova fleet on 22 November at Liverpool Lime Street station.[31]
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Diesel multiple units | |||||||||
| Siemens Desiro | 185 |  | DHMU | 100 | 160 | 51 | 3 | North Route, South Route | 2005–2006 |
_Diagram.png) | |||||||||
| Bi-mode multiple units | |||||||||
| Hitachi AT300 | 802Nova 1 |  | BMU | 124 | 200[32] | 19 | 5 |
| 2017–2019 |
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| Electric multiple units | |||||||||
| CAF Civity | 397Nova 2 |  | EMU | 125 | 200 | 12 | 5 | Anglo-Scottish Route
| 2017–2019[33] |
 | |||||||||
| Locomotive hauled stock | |||||||||
| Stadler UKLight | 68 |  | Diesel locomotive | 100[34] | 160 | 14[35] | 5 |
| 2016–2017 |
| CAF | Mark 5ANova 3 |  | Coach | 125 | 200 | 52 | 2017–2018 | ||
 | Driving Trailer | 14[36] | |||||||
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Former units operated by TransPennine Express include:
| Family | Class | Image | Type | mph | km/h | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | Left fleet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Turbostar | 170 |  | DMU | 100 | 160 | 4[37] | 2 | Manchester Piccadilly / Airport-Cleethorpes / Hull / York | 2000 | 2016 |
| Siemens Desiro | 350 |  | EMU | 110 | 177 | 10 | 4 | Anglo-Scottish Route | 2013–2014 | 2019–2020 |
TransPennine Express services ran over large areas of northern England and southernScottish Lowlands. Many of the largest stations they served are managed by other train operating companies orNetwork Rail.
TransPennine Express managed the following 19 stations:[13][38]
Some stations from the former franchise operatorFirst TransPennine Express were transferred toNorthern. These includeArnside,Barrow-in-Furness,Birchwood,Burneside,Carnforth,Grange-over-Sands,Kendal,Staveley,Ulverston,Warrington Central andWindermere.[13]
Siemens maintained theClass 185 fleet atArdwick depot in Manchester with a smaller facility inYork. Scottish stabling points for both stock includedPolmadie TRSMD (Glasgow) and Craigentinny T.&R.S.M.D. (Edinburgh).Hitachi maintained theClass 802 fleet atDoncaster Carr andCraigentinny.[39] The new EMUs and loco-hauled sets were to be maintained by Alstom, on behalf of TransPennine Express, atLongsight (Manchester),Edge Hill (Liverpool) andPolmadie (Glasgow).[33] During 2020, in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, TPE invested £1.7 million into highly stringent rolling stock cleaning practices; these reportedly represented a 70% upsurge on pre-COVID-19 hygiene practices.[40]
TransPennine Express had depots for its train crews at Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport (conductors), York, Newcastle, Scarborough, Hull, Cleethorpes, Sheffield, Preston, Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central.
The TransPennine Express service was often criticised. A satirical article in 2022 called it the "ironically named TransPennine Express. You'd hate to take the non-Express service. It might be quicker to walk."[41]
The Guardian reported cancellations of 20-30% in October and November 2022[42] and 23% for the four weeks of 5 February to 4 March 2023.[43]
Media related toTransPennine Express at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by | Operator of TransPennine Express franchise 2016–2023 | Succeeded by |
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