Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many timetable alterations to TransPennine Express services will be introduced in December 2022.

In the TransPennine Express’ December 2022 timetable, on the North TransPennine route:

• Hull to Manchester Piccadilly hourly services are planned to be extended to Liverpool Lime Street;

• Manchester Airport to Redcar Central hourly services are planned to be extended to Saltburn (subject to track access being obtained);

• Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street hourly services are planned to revert to a through express service;

• Scarborough to York hourly services are planned to be extended to Manchester Piccadilly every two hours and will include calls between Stalybridge and Huddersfield in peak hours; and

• a second service between Newcastle and York and onwards to Manchester Piccadilly is planned to be introduced, which will operate every two hours and will include calls between Stalybridge and Huddersfield in peak hours.

The aforementioned services will see East/West frequency between Manchester and Leeds restored nearer to pre-COVID-19 levels.

On the South TransPennine route, Cleethorpes to Manchester Piccadilly services are planned to be extended to Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington. Due to essential works by Network Rail to a platform at Irlam, trains will call there in the Manchester-bound direction from the December 2022 timetable start date and in the Liverpool direction from 27 December 2022 (assuming completion of those works).

On the Anglo-Scottish route, at the December 2022 timetable change, services are planned to be increased from 31 to 35 trains per weekday as follows:

• eight return journeys per day between Edinburgh and Manchester/Manchester Airport;

• four return journeys per day between Glasgow and Manchester/Manchester Airport;

• one journey between Glasgow and Liverpool Lime Street and two journeys between Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow; and

• five part route journeys southbound and three part route journeys northbound.