More misery for rail passengers

A series of delays and technical faults have left rail companies Northern and TransPennine Express unable to deliver on promises made in the 2015 franchise agreement. Northern, which currently runs services between Scarborough and Hull, was expected to introduce a new hourly service from Scarborough to York in December. This would complement the existing TransPennine Express service, bringing an extra 14 trains per day (13 on Sundays) and more than 200 extra seats. However, after years of waiting (the service was initially scheduled for September 2018), the company has announced that due to “further delays” in the delivery of new trains from manufacturer CAF the new launch date is May 2020. CAF UK Director Richard Garner said the company “regrets” the delay, adding that it’s “working hard to catch up”. Meanwhile, on the Scarborough to York line, new TransPennine Express trains, partially rolled out at the end of the summer, had to be withdrawn. The new fivecarriage trains, featuring 106 extra seats and a realtime information system in every coach, have a software issue and the company has decided to temporarily recall them “as a precaution”. Scarborough Council leader Cllr Steve Siddons said he’s “very disappointed” by the setbacks and that he will be speaking to both Northern and TransPennine Express to resolve the situation “as quickly as possible”.