It seems a new train operator will soon be operating trains on the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom – with Grand Union Trains getting the green light.
The start of a new service to London – Image, Office of Road and Rail.
The new service will allow Grand Union Trains to start a new train service between London and the city of Stirling, from June 2025, bringing more choice to passengers, bringing private sector investment to the railway and increasing competition.
This will be for an initial period of five years.
Grand Union Trains will introduce four new return services per day between London Euston and Stirling stations.
These services will also call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert. Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London. The service will bypass Glasgow, choosing to service stations away from the city centre.
It was 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.
The new services will be the first run by an open-access operator on the West Coast Mainline. Open access operators run services independently of government funding as they do not have a franchise agreement with the government. Other examples include Lumo, Hull Trains and Grand Central – all of which operate on the East Coast Main Line.
Following ORR’s decision to approve new Grand Union Trains services between Carmarthen in south Wales and London Paddington in 2022, ORR has now approved open access services on three of Britain’s major routes.
In terms of rolling stock, Grand Union Trains plan to use off-lease rolling stock, such as the Class 221 Super Voyager or the Class 222 Meridian(both derivatives of the Voyager family).
In Quotes
Stephanie Tobyn, Director of Strategy, Policy and & Reform, said:
