RAIL union RMT hailed a “superb victory” on the tracks today after it was revealed the dispatch contract for TransPennine Express will be brought back in-house.

The transfer is expected to be completed by May 2026. Members currently employed by Carlisle Support Services at Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds stations will be TUPE-transferred into direct employment with publicly run Northern Trains. 

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “This is a superb victory for our members, our national campaign to end outsourcing and for common sense on the railway.

“Dispatch workers perform a vital safety-critical role and they should never have been outsourced in the first place.

“By bringing these workers back in-house, passengers will benefit from a more stable, properly integrated workforce, while staff gain the security, conditions and a stronger voice that comes with direct employment.

“This shows what can be achieved when unions campaign relentlessly to end the failed outsourcing model.”