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Recent Transpennine Express problems: What's going on?

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Failed Unit

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Surely, rather than rely on anecdotal evidence, it would be better to use this app
https://www.recenttraintimes.co.uk/
and then you can get a very good picture for a chosen time period of services. I use this app for my interest in Portsmouth and Southampton to Victoria services, that are unfortunately too often terminated short of destination, mainly due to insufficient turn around time being allowed.
A word of warning: the results table may say that a service has been cancelled, but when you click on the entry, you discover it was PINEd (stopped short of end destination) so it could be that pax were able to transfer onto a following local service. Not good, but not a total failure of service, IMO.
Thanks. That is the site I was looking for.

Message is clear. Allow 30 minutes connection time.
 
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mike57

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1st week back after holiday and another week of delays, although less cancellations to Scarborough, out of 10 journeys 1 delay 30 min+ 2 20 min+ and 2 10+ this backs up early post pointing out 53% on time performance at Scarborough. Journeys had different end points all originating at Seamer.

This is an unacceptable performance but press seem more interested in bashing Northern, who seem to have made progress.

Now on rammed unit into York at lunchtime Saturday, tipped out at York and two rammed 3 coach trains into one for the journey to Mancester, glad I'm getting off here

Edit Now back at York having collected something and 13.47 is cancelled
 
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scarby

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As an example, a couple of the pinch points have been removed (and this is just a quick summary of what I could find whilst on my way home)

SCA > LIV
- leaves Scarborough 10 mins earlier
- passes Malton approx 30 mins apart from inbound
- gets to York before a service blocks it in on Platform 3, and has extra 1/2 min of dwell
- Northern YRK > LDS doesn’t call at as many stations, SCA service picks up Garforth to compensate
- departs HUD at xx21 after a 5 min dwell, the stopping service is also no longer immediately after, as the SCA is now followed by the HUL - MAN at xx25 which should be behind it from Leeds.

Good to know this effort is being made. Thanks.
 

gazzaa2

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Ridiculous yesterday. Lime Street to Newcastle 9.25 without any working toilets so ended up with 10-15 minute breaks at some stations and got in about half an hour late. Just as annoying was the 4 carriages. This service links most of the biggest/most popular cities in the north (Liverpool/Manchester/Leeds/York/Durham/Newcastle) and should run with 8 carriages. The whole route should be electrified as well but that's another argument.

Then coming back it was chaotic due to a track inspection around Huddersfield. Loads of the trains from Scarborough and Newcastle seemed to be cancelled altogether or started further down the line.

The guards on TPEX are great and just as fed up as their passengers at the service.
 

class 9

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4 carriages? TPE don’t have any 4 car trains, 185s are 3 and the new stuff have 5.
 

class 9

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Yes I should have specified the route.
It’s a mystery to me as to why TPE got the Manc-Scotland services they don’t cross the Pennines, so not actually ‘trans’ Pennine!!
 

2L70

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DFT decision I guess however TPE have got people who can influence them...

They pushed for MIA - BPN on top of their Cumbrian Routes and got rid of them when it wasn’t as ££££ as expected, same as they’re trying to get LIV - NOT from EMR.

How long before they bin the West Yorkshire stoppers?
 

2L70

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It’s still an ongoing situation like putting the Barton Cleethorpes Line into the EMR franchise. Whoever runs it looks to be a Liverpool - Nottingham service for now
 

LittleAH

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2L70

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18.03 Newcastle - Liverpool was cancelled this afternoon, Reinstated at 1630 and Cancelled again at 1720. Musical cancellations...
 
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61653 HTAFC

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DFT decision I guess however TPE have got people who can influence them...

They pushed for MIA - BPN on top of their Cumbrian Routes and got rid of them when it wasn’t as ££££ as expected, same as they’re trying to get LIV - NOT from EMR.

How long before they bin the West Yorkshire stoppers?
I wish they would bin the stoppers, they were far more reliable when Northern ran them. However that's unlikely to happen, as the stoppers (once they're joined at Huddersfield again) will be the 6th tph through the core.
 

HH

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The Daily Mirror have got their figures wildly wrong.

According to the Daily Mirror this time last year the CEO took home 360k including bonus and pension https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/rail-boss-blamed-summer-chaos-13099594.

This year it's 330k. Not sure how that's a 44% pay rise. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/train-boss-gets-44-per-20567051
To quote the article: "TransPennine Express chief Leo Goodwin’s salary rose by 44per cent from £229,000 to £331,000. It included a £39,000 bonus and £53,000 pension boost, accounts to March reveal."

What they've done is compare the bare salary (which seems to have increased by £10k) to one including pension and bonus. He does appear somewhat overpaid and one would have to question on how First work out the bonus on a poor-performing, loss-making TOC, but he didn't get a huge pay rise (although at 4.37% probably better than most of his staff).

I knew Leo years ago and am slightly surprised he made it to MD - he seems to have just outlasted everyone; those more gifted have moved on...
 

AndyHudds

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What is happening with TPE's early morning services, this morning the 7.00am Scarborough service is delayed by over 30 minutes due to 'train crew being delayed', what does that actually mean? The 7.22 service to Hull is standing room only from Huddersfield and there has been nothing from Huddersfield to Leeds between 6.48 and 7.22, I honestly don't know what is going on.

Another thing, the Scarborough 7.00 service from Huddersfield with the new 68 set is constantly late everyday, it's never on time, why? You can guarantee it will be a couple of minutes late without fail.
 

BeHereNow

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To quote the article: "TransPennine Express chief Leo Goodwin’s salary rose by 44per cent from £229,000 to £331,000. It included a £39,000 bonus and £53,000 pension boost, accounts to March reveal."

What they've done is compare the bare salary (which seems to have increased by £10k) to one including pension and bonus. He does appear somewhat overpaid and one would have to question on how First work out the bonus on a poor-performing, loss-making TOC, but he didn't get a huge pay rise (although at 4.37% probably better than most of his staff).

I knew Leo years ago and am slightly surprised he made it to MD - he seems to have just outlasted everyone; those more gifted have moved on...

Crikey. I wonder what the redundancy package would be...
 

gimmea50anyday

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Redundancy? He is taking a job done successfully bonus and walking soon if internal messroom talk is to be believed
 

Spartacus

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What is happening with TPE's early morning services, this morning the 7.00am Scarborough service is delayed by over 30 minutes due to 'train crew being delayed', what does that actually mean? The 7.22 service to Hull is standing room only from Huddersfield and there has been nothing from Huddersfield to Leeds between 6.48 and 7.22, I honestly don't know what is going on.

Another thing, the Scarborough 7.00 service from Huddersfield with the new 68 set is constantly late everyday, it's never on time, why? You can guarantee it will be a couple of minutes late without fail.

Sickness, slept in, car wouldn’t start, misread diagram, rostering error, accident...., take your pick of those and any number of other possibilities.
 

class 9

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Also if delayed the previous day! Train crew must have a minimum 12 hr gap between shifts.
A lot of diagrams have been tightened up significantly, so not much leeway when disruption occurs.
 

AndyHudds

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Sickness, slept in, car wouldn’t start, misread diagram, rostering error, accident...., take your pick of those and any number of other possibilities.

Whereas I appreciate things happen this excuse is trotted out regular and it's not really acceptable, things can't be going wrong so regular with the workforce, if so they need to address their workforce urgently.
 

AndrewE

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Sickness, slept in, car wouldn’t start, misread diagram, rostering error, accident...., take your pick of those and any number of other possibilities.
I would say that for a firm running essential infrastructure (of any kind) these are mostly admissions of failure, indicating unmotivated or overworked workforce, inadequate sickness or training or other cover, let alone rostering errors! I.e the results of all sorts of poor management from top to bottom. No-one is claiming that something like an influenza epidemic is to blame!
I know we shall be told that the DfT set the traincrew complements when they let the franchise, and that the management are doing their best with what they have got, but the company has managed its workforce ever since, it planned the introduction of new trains and is responsible for the number of vehicles currently in service (and serviceable,) it chose not to run loco-hauled Mk3 sets (which would have prepared the traincrews earlier,) it trains and manages its roster clerks - or computer programs.
Who will pay the price of letting people down? No-one, other than the front-line staff who have to face the customers...

Also if delayed the previous day! Train crew must have a minimum 12 hr gap between shifts. A lot of diagrams have been tightened up significantly, so not much leeway when disruption occurs.
I wonder who drove the "tightening," and why?
 

northernchris

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What is happening with TPE's early morning services, this morning the 7.00am Scarborough service is delayed by over 30 minutes due to 'train crew being delayed', what does that actually mean?

That's interesting as the boards at Leeds this morning were showing the delay as due to following a late running train
 

pdq

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According to a manual announcement being delivered as I arrived at Huddersfield this morning, the delays Eastbound were due to traspassers on the line. It's quite possible that the trains that crew were using to get to work were caught up in that, hence the automated delay reason being crewing issues.
 

LittleAH

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I would say that for a firm running essential infrastructure (of any kind) these are mostly admissions of failure, indicating unmotivated or overworked workforce, inadequate sickness or training or other cover, let alone rostering errors! I.e the results of all sorts of poor management from top to bottom. No-one is claiming that something like an influenza epidemic is to blame!
I know we shall be told that the DfT set the traincrew complements when they let the franchise, and that the management are doing their best with what they have got, but the company has managed its workforce ever since, it planned the introduction of new trains and is responsible for the number of vehicles currently in service (and serviceable,) it chose not to run loco-hauled Mk3 sets (which would have prepared the traincrews earlier,) it trains and manages its roster clerks - or computer programs.
Who will pay the price of letting people down? No-one, other than the front-line staff who have to face the customers...

I wonder who drove the "tightening," and why?

I don't get the obsession with Mk3's. It wouldn't have prepared the driving of the Mk5a DT - and let''s not get into them not being able to cater for disabled passengers...

Quite clear that TPE's issues are largely infrastructure driven, as with Northern's. It's alright Burnham and that ilk calling for renationalisation, but nothing would change due to the poor infrastructure and lack of investment in the north as a whole. Then TPE have 3 fleets coming in at the same time, meaning training increases, rest days increase and some services go uncovered. But it's easy for an ill-informed press (not rail trade it must be said) and politicians to focus on performance rather than what's causing it - until that's addressed nothing will change.
 

BeHereNow

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I don't get the obsession with Mk3's. It wouldn't have prepared the driving of the Mk5a DT - and let''s not get into them not being able to cater for disabled passengers...

Quite clear that TPE's issues are largely infrastructure driven, as with Northern's. It's alright Burnham and that ilk calling for renationalisation, but nothing would change due to the poor infrastructure and lack of investment in the north as a whole. Then TPE have 3 fleets coming in at the same time, meaning training increases, rest days increase and some services go uncovered. But it's easy for an ill-informed press (not rail trade it must be said) and politicians to focus on performance rather than what's causing it - until that's addressed nothing will change.

Ok, but the infrastructure has improved over the last few years, and yet reliability has gone down. Why do you think this is?
 

tpjm

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it chose not to run loco-hauled Mk3 sets (which would have prepared the traincrews earlier,)
When will this Mk3 nonsense die off? Totally different stock which would have done NOTHING to expedite the training for MkVa.

Ok, but the infrastructure has improved over the last few years, and yet reliability has gone down. Why do you think this is?
I’m not sure which infrastructure you’re referring to generally but we’re still experiencing regular “points failure”, “track circuit failure”, “level crossing failure” and “cracked rails” all over the north, often at the same locations.

The other factor to consider is that with the May 18 TT recast, there was a heck of a lot of capacity deemed to be “surplus” that NR/DfT thought needed using up. Turns out that cramming extra trains in doesn’t work without seismic infrastructure improvements.
 
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