TPE's Vision (probably through rose tinted glasses)

http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/about/default.asp

This makes an amusing read when you realise it's all corporate geek speak.

National Rail Conditions of Carriage

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

Interesting conditions of carriage for 1st Class Passengers in Section 39 and other areas, especially regarding entitlement of travel, and refunds (which they never advise you of) and std ckass passengers using or even standing in the carriage when their is more than adequare spaced on other carriages.

An almost decent Transpennine Carriage

This is what the first class carriage looks like once all the standard class Leeds passengers have left the carriage and first class fare payers get a chance to have a seat.

Transpennine Leeds First Class Carriage

This is what first class passengers pay for travelling from Leeds to Manchester.

Luxurious Transpennine Carriage

This is a snaphsot of the first class carriage from Leeds to Manchester, as you can see there is no room at all for passengers and most of the first class passengers likely have no seat.

Transpennine Express

This is a story of highway robbery albeit the villains themselves are not dressed in the livery of the highwaymwen of yore, and horses are not their mode of travel. No good people, this is a story of highwaymen who sit behind modern technologyand their mode of travel is the the invention of Robert Louis Stevenson. The train, generally the one marked with the livery of First Transpennine Express, and their favoured method of robbery you might ask, well, that's an interesting topic. Its charging first class passengers for travel that they generally do not get the benefit of using. A service mis sold as they cannot guarantee seats because generally you'll be a lucky lottery winner to get a first class seat on a return journey from Leeds to Manchester (and often the reverse)

What a joy it would be if it was fellow first class passengers (who pay a good premium for this luxury), actually got a seat and were able to do some work (usually why they choose this mode of travel). Sadly though this is no fairy tale, and the carriages are usuually rammed with freeloaders as TPE are acutely aware that they won't get to inspect tickets until after Huddersfield.

So this fellow traveller after a year as acting as mystery passenger for TPE and having invested both a significant amount of time and money (about £800-00 in texts) have been told that I may as well forget the guarantee of a seat. Quote from the Customer Services Director "Overcrowding is unlikely to change in the short term and will continue to be an issue certainly between Manchester and Leeds whilst additional rolling stock is sought. This has been promised in government statements specifically the High Level Output Statement published earlier this year.
Given this, it is unlikely that we are going to meet your aspirations (which lie outside our contractual obligation) which I believe to be the guarantee of a first class seat every day you use the service, especially as the take up of first class tickets between Manchester and Leeds has grown by 17% since 2005." So fellow readers post your experiences and let TPE know of the shocking servive they provide (Std class passengers I feel for your needs to).

TPE Customer Services Director - Edith.Rodgers@firstgroup.com. Like myself you might be told to seek alternative travel, by a Senior Representative of TPE. I am unsure what Vernon Barker the MD may well have to say about this, but you can reach him on 'vernon.barker@firstgroup.com'

Please people take a stand, year on year we pay a premium for both standard and first fares and whilst the corporate schpiel may be that they have invested millions in new rolling stock, of what use is this, if it is not used on those journeys where there are more travellers than seats.

I look forward to your responses and appreciation of this situation. First Class tickets cost on average 62.5% more, and for that you have no guarantee of any seat, at any time. Is this the travel we want for the future? I think not. Let me know your views.