Grand Union Trains open access Stirling service approved by ORR
of Rail and Road has approved proposals from Grand Union Trains to introduce a new open access service along the West Coast Main Line from Stirling to London Euston, starting in June next year. Grand Union aims to operate four return services per day between Stirling and London, calling at Larbert, Greenfaulds, Whifflet, Motherwell and Lockerbie in Scotland and in England at Carlisle, Preston, Nuneaton, and Milton Keynes, before terminating at London Euston. The chosen route avoids Edinburgh and Glasgow, with GUT stating that by avoiding the two congested Scottish cities, it will be able to provide a faster service without the need for passengers to change.
In announcing its decision, the ORR said it found that the proposed services would increase choice for passengers, significantly increasing direct journey opportunities to and from London and central and southern Scotland, while making use of existing capacity on the network. It is GUT’S intention to eventually operate using an electric or bi-mode train fleet, but services are likely to initially utilise off-lease Class 22X trains. The 18 five-coach Class 221 Super Voyagers currently operated by Avanti West Coast are due to go off-lease following the introduction of the Class 805 and Class 807 fleets, while the Class 222 Meridians used by East Midlands Railway are also due to go off-lease following the introduction of Class 810 Aurora trains. The new Class 805, 807 and 810 trains are all being built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe.
ORR’S director of strategy, policy and reform, Stephanie Tobyn, said: “Our decision helps increase services for passengers and boost competition on Britain’s railway network. By providing more trains serving new destinations, open access operators offer passengers more choice in the origin and price of their journey, leading to better outcomes for rail users.”
When contacted by Railways Illustrated, GUT managing director Ian Yeowart said that the company was pleased to have been awarded the rights to operate the service and that Grand Union is currently working on securing rolling stock and completing the associated tasks that come with approval. He also said that the company was grateful to the many bodies and individuals which had supported its application.
When GUT services begin next year, these will be the first open access trains to operate a regular service along the WCML route, although there are currently three open access operators – Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo – serving the East Coast Main Line. Open access operators run their services independently of government funding.