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Grand Union Trains gets the nod to operate London – South West Wales services

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Grand Union Trains has got its wish to operate services as an Open Access Operator between London Paddington and South West Wales

a close-up of a train track

It marks the opportunity for a new entrant to enter the rail market between the regions, taking on the current franchised rail operators which operate in the area (Transport for Wales and Great Western Railway).

The access agreement will commence towards the end of 2024, with Grand Union Trains due to commence sometime in 2025 using new build bi-mode trains which can operate under electric or diesel power, as not all of the route is electrified.

In terms of stopping pattern, services will operate from London Paddington to the stations below, operating up to five time a day:

  • Bristol Parkway
  • Severn Tunnel Junction
  • Newport
  • Cardiff
  • Gowerton
  • Llanelli
  • Carmarthen

As an ‘open access’ train operator, Grand Union Trains will not be able to obtain paid subsidies from public funds, unlike current operators along the route.

A formal decision was made by the Office of Rail Regulator to open the line to other operators, with potential benefits in terms of lower fares, improved service quality and innovation for all passengers using the route.

In Quotes

Stephanie Tobyn, Director of Strategy, Policy and Reform at ORR said:

“This decision supports more choice for passengers, new direct journey opportunities, more price competition, and new comfortable trains.

“The added competition should also make a significant contribution to innovation in terms of the routes served, ticketing practices and service quality improvements, by both Grand Union and through the response of existing operators.”

Ian Yeowart, Grand Union’s Managing Director said:

“It is great news for passengers who may have the opportunity to use our services, and one only has to look at what happens now on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), where there are 3 competing operators, to see the significant benefits that arise when operators face some competition. We are acutely aware of the difficulties faced by the ORR in determining these applications, and previous ORR decisions have significantly benefited many users on the ECML. We expect to be able to bring those benefits to the Great Western Main Line”.

He continued:

“The very significant support we have received from the Welsh Government and all areas of South and West Wales has been very important in promoting the value of the service and we are grateful for the cross party support we have had from members of the Senedd and Westminster and from a number of local authorities”.

Lots of interesting notes

One thing that has also been published is the Grand Union decision letter, which includes the abstraction numbers – or how much Grand Union Trains can take away from current operators:

a screenshot of a screen

Interesting numbers – indicating that the Office of Rail Regulator reasonably is happy that the new operator will be bringing new custom to the network.

Rolling stock has not been defined yet – although plenty of renders are going round of a Class 800 Hitachi IET-type train being shown off. Considering what else is used on the line for long-distance services (Class 800 and 802), this isn’t a far stretch to believe -although no announcement has come from Hitachi yet that these trains have been financed or ordered.

It’s a big step forward for competition on the Great Western Lines, one which the Welsh government is welcoming, as well as others.

It’ll be interesting to see how this is taken to fruition and how they intend to market this – if done right (such as Lumo), there could be some very good passenger benefits ahead.

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