Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department was informed of Trans Pennine Express' plans to reduce services from Monday 12 September before those plans were announced.

With the escalation of industrial action from May 2022 (on a national scale), and the continued high staff sickness levels, TPE services had become increasingly unreliable.

The reduction in TransPennine Express services was implemented after discussion with the Department, with our partner in managing the TPE national rail contract Transport for the North, and involved stakeholders in the regions affected, including Transport Scotland, Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester Airport Group.