Transpennine Express (TPE), the troubled passenger operator recently taken back into public management by the UK government, has encountered another setback with the temporary withdrawal of its fleet of Spanish built rolling stock. The company has been marketing its fleet revamp as a step change in passenger provision, but that has hit the buffers with the problems encountered with the brand new CAF Mk 5a locomotive-hauled coaches. This latest reputational blow comes after a string of complaints about timekeeping and reliability, along with a scandal involving the company’s concealment of cancellation levels through manipulating regulatory loopholes.