Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking with FirstGroup to address disruption to TransPennine routes from Newcastle Central Station.

The Department, which manages the TPE contract in partnership with Transport for the North, has been in regular dialogue with the operator to manage the provision of services in the face of prolonged national and local industrial action and a backlog of training caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. The actions that have been agreed and continue to be discussed include:

• Ongoing review of timetables to establish a stable and reliable base in the short term;
• Introduction of additional drivers and conductors (currently being trained); and
• Widespread advertising to recruit more drivers to reduce TPE’s reliance on rest day working and overtime.