POLITICIANS in the region have welcomed the termination of TransPennine’s rail operating franchise.
The UK Department of Transport (DfT) this week announced they will not extend FirstGroup’s National Rail Contract to operate TransPennine Express after May 28.
It will instead be transferred to a new owning group, the DfT’s OLR Holdings Ltd and trains will still run.
It follows months of disruption and cancellations by the firm, which serves Lockerbie among other stations.
Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell has been a long-term critic of the standard of service and previously called for action to be taken over the rail operating company.
He said: “It had been clear for a long time that Transpennine Express simply wasn’t up to the job of providing the modern, reliable rail service that local people need and can depend on.
“Repeated promises were made that things would improve but they never did. Instead, passengers were left frustrated by delays, overcrowded carriages and last-minute cancellations.
“In fact, after a full year of those promised improvements, statistics from the Office of Rail and Road showed almost a quarter of Transpennine Express trains were cancelled in the four weeks between February and March.
He described ending the contract as ‘entirely the right decision’ and added: “There will now be the opportunity to deliver that modern, reliable rail service for station users at Lockerbie which is so urgently needed and I look forward to working to make sure that’s the case.”
South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth has called for an urgent improvement plan for services at Lockerbie Station.
He has been campaigning for TransPennine to lose their contract after years of poor service to and from Lockerbie railway station.
Mr Smyth has now written to UK Transport Minister Mark Harper calling for a plan and he said: “This is a decision that should have been made years ago by the UK Government and the fact yet another private rail franchise has failed shows that privatisation really has come to the end of the track for our railways.
“For too long the UK Government have been rewarding failure by constantly given this failed franchise contract after contract when they have been so badly letting down passengers, including those using Lockerbie. The UK Government owe passengers a public apology for dragging their heels over this move. But more importantly we need an urgent improvement plan with action to tackle the chaos at Transpennine Express caused by the current constant cancellations and clear proposals to increase services to and from Lockerbie which are poor even when they do run.”
He is himself a weekly user of Transpennine Express and added: “We need to get people back on the train but that will only happen if the UK Government get a grip and put in place a new management team that will get our trains running on time – on some days just getting them running to and from Lockerbie at all would be an improvement.”
Meanwhile, South Scotland SNP MSP Emma Harper also wants assurances that services from Lockerbie will urgently improve, to be more reliable.
She said: “Following my campaigning on this, I hope this change will make the rail service from Lockerbie to Scotland’s central belt and to South of the Border more reliable. I will be seeking these assurances from the Department of Transport and the Scottish Government’s Transport Minsters.”
