Intercity rail operator launched

The TransPennine Express franchise (TPE), operated by FirstGroup, has overtaken intercity rail operations in the North and Scotland.

TPE will oversee an investment of over £500 million which will be used to transform rail services across the North of England and Scotland. The investment is expected to result in an 80 per cent rise in capacity at peak times and an increase in connections between the largest cities in the region by 55 per cent by 2019.

The programme means that 220 new carriages will be introduced by 2020, providing an additional 13 million seats per year. The modern trains, expected to arrive by Spring 2018, will be capable of travelling at 125 mph, will contain more seats and luggage space.

Journey times are also expected to be reduced, with the remaining carriages set to undergo a £20 million plus refurbishment scheme to bring them up to standard.

Leo Goodwin, managing director, said: “This new franchise will lead to a complete overhaul of train travel in the North and Scotland. Over the next four years the customer experience on our services will be re-imagined with improved catering, more seats, faster trains, innovative ticketing systems and improved journey times.

“While some things will take time to implement, customers will notice some changes immediately. The catering across our services will begin to improve from today, while the refurbishment of our Class 185 rolling stock will start later this year. We are also committed to improving our response to delays and cancellations, with an automatic delay repay system implemented within 12 months and wi-fi at all TPE stations in 2017.

“We will be working hard over the next four years to achieve these major changes and create an outstanding intercity rail service that will take the North further.”

The news comes after the Department for Transport announced in December 2015 that FirstGroup would take full ownership of the operator until at least 2023.