FirstGroup sketches out a new route between Hereford and London

FirstGroup is trying to extend its Open Access operations, this time with a new application to operate between Hereford and London via Cwmbran.

Lumo Class 803 along the Scottish Coast – Next Stop, Hereford? Image, FirstGroup

The company has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as part of the process.

FirstGroup’s proposal is for two return journeys a day (one on Sundays) between London Paddington and Hereford, calling at Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction as well as providing direct London services at Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn and Abergavenny.  This service would be operated under the FirstGroup open-access operator, Lumo.

For those travelling between Hereford and London, this will increase the number of services from four to six return services a day, whilst filling in large gaps in the timetable. This would involve additional daytime and evening arrivals into London, providing Hereford with more regular connectivity.

The new services would also provide the stations on the route with new direct journey opportunities to Bristol Parkway, whilst providing connectivity for people living in the Torfaen and Monmouthshire council areas, as well as faster services between London and Hereford.

The service should also provide a convenient link for visitors travelling to the Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Blaenavon World Heritage Site, and the cathedral city of Hereford, driving growth and supporting jobs in the area’s tourism sector.

In Quotes

FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer, Graham Sutherland, said

 “We have extensive experience of running open access rail operations and we want to bring our successful Lumo service to this new route that connects Hereford, South Wales and London. Open access operators deliver trains to under-served routes, offering passengers choice at competitive fares. Passenger surveys routinely report very high satisfaction levels, and open access operators are giving customers new travel options and driving demand, paying their own way without public funding. We will be working closely with stakeholders as we build our application and our case for this new service.”

Towards 2027…

Should the request pass the hurdles a route application such as this will encounter (be it a consultation period, revenue abstraction, the allocation of paths to allow for this service to operate), FirstGroup is targeting a start date in December 2027.

To operate the service (and if paths and rights are granted), FirstGroup placed a £500m order for 14 trains from Hitachi Rail in County Durham. The Group has an option for a potential second order of similar size, and the Hereford fleet would form part of this option.

It’s another interesting wrinkle in the pattern of rail in the United Kingdom as FirstGroup looks for options beyond the privatisation era, whilst seeking to extend its Lumo brand. Already, it has firmed up its plans for its Stirling-London service, whilst working on expanding its current London-Edinburgh service.

Of course, this will be down to the regulators. It’ll be interesting to see where this project goes.