With the National lockdown in effect in England, the open-access rail operators are again shutting down their services. Both Grand Central Railway and Hull Trains have suspended their services.
Grand Central operates services from London Kings Cross to Sunderland and Bradford Interchange, whilst Hull Trains operates services from London Kings Cross to Hull Paragon and Beverly.
The move by both train companies follows the same move they made during the previous lockdowns.
Grand Central
Grand Central Class 180 – Image, Grand Central.
Grand Central is suspending operations until 1st March, with both routes connect North East and West Riding to London being suspended from Saturday, January 9, with a return to service currently planned for March 1.
A Grand Central spokesman said: “
It’s hugely disappointing for us to be starting 2021 by removing our trains from the communities they serve. However, even before Monday’s Government announcement of a total lockdown, the impact of tightening tier restrictions and ongoing engineering work on the East Coast Main Line had caused a major drop in passenger demand for January and February.
“As an Open Access operator, relying exclusively on income from ticket sales, it’s clear we would best serve the needs of our business and our staff and passengers, by taking a period of hibernation. We are currently planning to return on March 1st and our services will remain open for bookings to travel from that date. Meanwhile we will continually monitor the national situation and provide updates through our usual communication channels. We may return sooner if the lifting of restrictions allows.”
Hull Trains
Hull Trains Paragon in Hull station – Image, Hull trains
Hull Trains is planning to suspend services from the 9th of January. Services will be suspended until further notice as a result of the nationwide lockdown.
Louise Cheeseman, managing director of Hull Trains said:
“We are again in a position where it is the right decision for the business to temporarily suspend all our direct rail services to London.
“The travel restrictions impact our income from ticket sales, so hibernating allows us to protect the business for longer so we can return as a sustainable rail operator once restrictions ease.”
“It’s another challenge we all face, but I am confident that the decision to temporarily suspend services is the right one to help safeguard the future of the business.
As for the other train companies
Head to National Rail Enquiries – National service indicator to find out the latest travel news. Whilst services are running, things can change quickly, due to staff shortages and such.
Waiting for things to calm down
With England back in lockdown, things are once again going to slow down again. As these companies are outside the franchising/rail management system – and with few to minimal passengers travelling, the income stream for these train companies has dried up.
For now, those of you in the affected areas who need to travel for essential purposes, you’ll need to use LNER and Northern Rail as needed to get you from A to B.
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