TransPennine Express is to be brought under government control due to “continuous cancellations”, it has been announced.
Following what has been several months of significant disruption and regular cancellations for rail passengers across the UK, which the Government says has resulted in “a considerable decline in confidence” for those who rely on the trains to get to work, visit family and friends, and go about their daily lives, it’s been announced today that TransPennine Express (TPE) is to be brought under Government control.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has confirmed that he will not renew or extend the train operator’s contract at the end of this month.
This will therefore bring the company into what is known as ‘operator of last resort’ from 28 May.
Over the past couple on months, especially from February onwards when the operating company was put on a ‘recovery plan’ and a meeting was held with local Mayors to “discuss a way forward”, the Department for Transport (DfT) has been working with TPE to improve services – but those improvements have not been sufficient, leading the Government to come to a decision that both TPE’s contract and the underlying relationships “must be reset”.
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The Government says this decision has been made to achieve the performance levels that passengers deserve, as well as “what the Northern economy needs”.
In has been stressed by the Government, however, that today’s decision to take control of TPE will not “instantaneously resolve” the challenges, but as mentioned, will provide opportunity to reset relationships between the operator, staff, trade unions, and passengers.
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Government to take control of TransPennine Express due to ‘continuous cancellations’ / Credit: TPE
“In my time as Transport Secretary, I have been clear that passenger experience must always come first,” Transport Secretary Mark Harper said of the decision.
“After months of commuters and Northern businesses bearing the brunt of continuous cancellations, I’ve made the decision to bring Transpennine Express into operator of last resort [but] this is not a silver bullet and will not instantaneously fix a number of challenges being faced.”
Mr Harper has also called on train drivers’ union ASLEF to “play their part” by calling off all upcoming strikes and the rest day working ban – which prevents drivers from taking on overtime shifts and filling in gaps on services.
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He wants the operator to put, what he calls, the Government’s “very fair and reasonable pay offer” to a democratic vote of their members.
The rail company will be brought under ‘operator of last resort’ at the end of this month / Credit: TPE
What will ‘operator of last resort’ mean?
The Government has explained that under ‘operator of last resort’, TPE services will run as normal with no changes to tickets, timetables, or planned services.
The DfT is apparently “committed to ensuring a seamless transition” for all passengers.
It has also been stressed that the move to bring TPE into the control of the operator of last resort is only a temporary move, and it is the Government’s “full intention” that the company will eventually return to the private sector.
It is understood that no timeline for this has been set out or revealed as of yet.
Featured Image – Jonny Walton (via TPE)
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Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Manchester Airport releases statement after customer data stolen in ‘targeted’ cyber security attack
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has released a formal statement after data was stolen from 8.7 million customers in a ‘targeted’ cyber security attack yesterday.
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – which operates Manchester Airport, Stansted, and East Midlands Airport – said the cyber security incident happened at around 1pm yesterday (Thursday 27 August), and that the data seized from 8.7 million customers included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations, and postcodes.
The data that was stolen related to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings, and in-airport WiFi sign-ups, MAG stated.
It was initially confirmed that the system the hackers accessed did not hold customers’ bank or payment details, however, and that all other regular airport operations and customer parking continued uninterrupted.
Manchester Airport has now released a formal statement to reassure customers that they are taking the matter ‘extremely seriously’.
The statement reads: “Manchester Airport Group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party.
“A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities, and at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”
MAG insisted that the incident had not resulted in any ‘operational disruption’, adding: “Airport operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally.
“Neither MAG nor the system accessed hold customers’ bank or payment details. The data that has been accessed includes customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.
“We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously, and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused.”
Emily Sergeant -
11th May 2023 
