PASSENGERS have slammed the “appalling and unacceptable” rail service between Scarborough and Leeds.

Over the last few weeks commuters have seen the cancellation and delays of the TransPennine Express (TPE) service on a daily basis.

Stuart Frank, who lives in Malton, said: “I travel from Malton to Leeds every day and the service has been poor since the timetable change in May 2018.

“However over the last few weeks the service has become appalling and unacceptable with cancellations every single day, usually due to lack of train crew.

“This leaves passengers stranded for at least an hour, sometimes two or more. Even if trains are not cancelled nearly every one is late.”

Stuart added: “Many passengers are at breaking point and have decided to drive instead.

“I have asked our politicians to push for the removal of the TPE franchise, as have other people. We won’t hold our collective breath.”

Graham Lake, who also lives in Malton, said he had nearly missed his flight from Newcastle Airport as a result of TPE cancellations and delays.

“TPE’s service record these past weeks has been far from satisfactory and on social media I see the problems and issues raised are widespread and totally unacceptable,” he said.

Jack Colley, from Pickering, said: “It’s not just the issues with trains been delayed or cancelled. They’re that crowded when they do run, people are stood in the toilet.”

Craig Sansam, who lives in Scarborough, added: “The level of service has been bad for as long as I can remember.

“As a season ticket holder, paying in excess of £3,000 per year, I am not guaranteed a seat so I am often standing or sat on the floor.

“Over the last 12 weeks, the service has gotten progressively worse. My return journey, York to Scarborough, has only been on time 13 per cent.”

A spokesman for TPE said: “Unfortunately, we have had to cancel a number of our services recently and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience that this has caused.

“We are currently running a temporary accelerated training programme for our drivers and conductors as we roll-out our new fleets of trains.

“This coupled with a number of infrastructure issues that we have been experiencing has led to a high number of cancellations.

“We acknowledge the pain that this is causing our customers and we really do apologise.”