TransPennine Express to cut services between Leeds and Manchester

Rail operator TransPennine Express has announced plans to reduce services between Leeds and Manchester in a bid to improve punctuality.

The number of journeys between the two cities will be cut from four to three during off-peak times, reducing the daily number of services from 320 to 300.

New managing director Chris Jackson said: "We’re starting a new chapter at TransPennine Express, with plans now in place to deliver a more reliable, punctual and dependable service across the towns and cities we connect.

"After a challenging few years, our plan sets out the steps we’re taking to make journeys better for all our customers."

TransPennine was taken into government control in May after years of problems with delays and cancellations.

In the early part of the year it operated fewer than 300 services a day, with between 50 and 60 cancellations daily.

The company had the worst record of any operator in April, with one in seven services cancelled.

Mr Jackson added: “We’ve already made some significant improvements at TPE, and our customers are starting to really see the benefit of this work. We’ve reduced cancellations by 40%, we’ve worked to rebuild relationships with trade union representatives and have resolved many of the local disputes that were so disruptive for so long, and we’ve delivered improvements and upgrades to some of our key stations.

"But we know there is a lot more work to do and our plan for the future puts our customers at the heart of our decision making and outlines the additional steps we’re taking to build on the progress we’ve made so far."

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