Nationalising TransPennine Express shows Tories ‘not driven by dogma’

Rail minister Huw Merriman said the move to take on the franchise was temporary, with plans to return it to the private sector.

Ministers intend for TransPennine Express to be returned to the private sector following the decision to nationalise it this week (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

The decision to nationalise TransPennine Express (TPE) shows the Conservative UK Government is “not driven by dogma”, the rail minister has said.

Huw Merriman said he hoped the move would amount to a “reset moment” for the troubled franchise which has struggled through months of delays and cancellations.

But the Tory frontbencher said the decision to hand the service to the Operator of Last Resort was only temporary, with ministers “looking to return it back to the private sector”.