Andy Burnham hails Transpennine Express contract axe a 'victory' as he vows to reshape northern rail travel

Andy Burnham has hailed the government decision to strip Transpennine Express of its contract a 'victory' as he vowed to reshape railways in the north of England.

The Greater Manchester Mayor told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday he was pleased that the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, had 'listened' to his request to bring the train operator under public control.

It comes after months of misery for rail passengers in Greater Manchester and other northern towns and cities, following continuous delays and cancellations at the hands of Transpennine.

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The Transport Secretary announced on Thursday last week (11 May) that train services run by TPE would be nationalised as operator Northern was in 2020. The Department for Transport (DfT) said TPE services would be brought under its Operator of Last Resort from May 28.

Mr Burnham said the decision by the government will now allow his office to 'reshape railways in the north and make them work much better for the public.'

"We have been on with a major reform of public transport," he told Sophy Ridge. "Next month I will put out a London-style integrated fair structure that will make public transport cheaper in Greater Manchester.

"And in time we can bring the trains into that integrated system. It was a bit of a victory for the mayor I have to say last week when the Transport Secretary agreed to our request to bring Transpennine Express under public control.

"That gives us a real opportunity to now to reshape the railways in the north and make them work much better for the public."

Graham Sutherland, chief executive of TransPennine Express' owners, FirstGroup, insisted the company has 'worked extremely hard