TransPennine Express gives details on new train fleet and expected operations

New trains for TransPennine Express are likely to deploy onto Hull-Manchester Piccadilly services and two of the four hourly trains planned through Manchester Victoria.

TPE made the revelation to a meeting of stakeholders in Manchester on January 30 as it unveiled its likely service pattern from 2027 onwards when work to remodel Huddersfield is complete. The company’s managers said the plan was not yet a done deal.

The service pattern comprises:

• 2tph (trains per hour) from Liverpool Lime Street via Manchester Victoria, alternating in destination between Newcastle and Scarborough

• 2tph from Manchester Airport via Manchester Victoria, to Newcastle and Saltburn alternately.

• 2tph Manchester Piccadilly to Hull, with a semi-fast stopping pattern.

• 2tph Piccadilly-Huddersfield and Huddersfield-Leeds stopping services.

These stopping services switch from TPE back to Northern with the former suggesting they will also use the new stock that Northern is procuring. Managing Director Chris Jackson told RAIL that the second hourly stopping service depended on take up of freight paths on the route.

TPE’s new stock comprises a fleet of 29 trains, with an option to grow the fleet to 55.

Jackson said the fleet may include level boarding while Major Projects Director Chris Nutton revealed that the operator has a “lead tenderer” and is now working with finance companies with the aim of revealing the winner this summer.

Nutton said the new trains were highly likely to be battery-electric stock, noting that it was difficult to buy diesel. The deal will include depots, stabling and maintenance, he added.

TPE’s current York-Castleford-Wakefield Kirkgate-Manchester service doesn’t feature in the plan revealed in January. TPE said that questions remain around it but said that a Huddersfield-Castleford service should continue.

More overnight services between Piccadilly and Manchester Airport will be introduced in May 2026, giving an almost hourly service.

TPE is also strengthening the one current Airport to Redcar diagram that runs a single three-car Class 185 to make services consistently six cars.

It says this will strengthen the 1745 departure from Leeds for the airport.

From December, TPE is planning to run a Sunday 0827 Edinburgh-Manchester Airport and 0916 Preston-Edinburgh as well as reinstating the 1812 from Edinburgh through to the airport (rather than just Preston) and running a 2010 the other way.