Travel in Life

Day Trip to Scarborough, UK.

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Catch The Moment

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Holiday Cheer.

40 minute Sheffield City Tour

Early Days & Brand Launch (1990s-2004)

  • Origins: The TPE concept emerged from British Rail’s Regional Railways, connecting cities across Northern England.
  • Privatisation: After rail privatization, the network was split; Ariva Trains Northern and First North Western ran the services.
  • Franchise Formation (2004): The Strategic Rail Authority separated fast (TPE) and slow (Northern) services, awarding the first TPE franchise to FirstGroup and Keolis. 

FirstGroup Era (2004-2023)

  • Expansion: The franchise grew, adding key routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow from Manchester in 2007.
  • New Branding (2016): FirstGroup won a new franchise, rebranding from First TransPennine Express to just TransPennine Express (TPE), introducing new ‘Nova‘ trains (Nova 1, 2, 3).
  • Routes: TPE operated three main routes: North (Liverpool/Manchester to Hull/Scarborough/Edinburgh), Scottish (Manchester/Liverpool to Scotland), and South (Manchester to Cleethorpes/Sheffield). 

Government Takeover (2023-Present)

  • Contract End: Due to poor performance, the government did not renew FirstGroup’s contract.
  • Operator of Last Resort: On May 28, 2023, the service transitioned to TransPennine Trains, a government-owned company, which continues to run services as TPE. 

Key Routes Today

  • TPE still links major hubs like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, York, Hull, Edinburgh, and Glasgow across Northern England and Scotland. 

TransPennine Express (TPE) uses diesel trains, but is transitioning to greener options, with fleets like the Class 802 “Bi-Mode” (electric/diesel) and previously the diesel-only Class 185s, while planning to phase out pure diesel trains for electrification progress. TPE has aimed to reduce pollution and remove diesel trains by using new tech and capitalizing on the TransPennine Route Upgrade(TRU) for electric power, though diesel is still needed on non-electrified sections. 

Key TPE Diesel/Bi-Mode Fleets:

  • Class 802 Nova 1: These are “bi-mode” trains, meaning they can run on overhead electric power where available and switch to diesel engines for non-electrified routes, offering greener travel.
  • Class 185 Desiro: These are diesel multiple units (DMUs) used on specific routes, like Manchester to Sheffield/Hull, and are being phased out as part of decarbonization efforts.
  • Class 68 Locomotives: Used with Mark 5A carriages (Nova 3), these were powerful diesel locomotives that TPE scheduled for withdrawal due to technical issues and noise. 

The Shift to Greener Trains:

  • TPE is working with the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) to electrify more lines, allowing trains like the Class 802 to use electric power, reducing diesel dependency.
  • The goal is to eventually remove all diesel trains from the network, introducing newer electric and bi-mode technologies to support decarbonization. 

WE&P by: EZorrillaMc&Co

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