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You are here: Home / MultiModal Connectivity / More Open Access Routes approved on the East Coast Mainline… with a number of denials

More Open Access Routes approved on the East Coast Mainline… with a number of denials

02/08/2025 by Kevincm Leave a Comment

The UK Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has been making further decisions about Open Access rail operations – this time on the East Coast Main Line.

London Kings Cross Station - Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Some more services to London King’s Cross, but capacity is starting to get limited. 

The additional approved services are:

  • Grand Central: two additional Wakefield Kirkgate to Bradford Interchange services on weekdays and Saturdays; one additional Bradford Interchange to Wakefield Kirkgate service on weekdays and Saturdays; and one additional Bradford Interchange to Wakefield Kirkgate service in each direction on Sundays, and some additional Seaham calls on existing services
  • Hull Trains: one additional northbound service weekdays and Saturdays between London King’s Cross and Hull
  • Lumo (Newcastle): one additional return service between London King’s Cross and Newcastle on weekdays and one additional service in opposing directions on a Saturday and Sunday
  • Lumo (Glasgow extensions): the extension of existing London King’s Cross-Edinburgh services so that Lumo can provide two northbound services and one southbound service between London King’s Cross and Glasgow on weekdays and one in each direction on Sundays

There have been more than a few denials, too, during this request period. They include:

  • Grand Central – Additional services to Kings Cross
  • Hull Trains – The planned launch of a route between London King’s Cross to Sheffield via Retford with intermediate stops at Worksop and Woodhouse, and one daily return service between Meadowhall and Sheffield.
  • Hull Trains – One return service between London King’s Cross and Hull on weekdays and Saturdays.
  • Lumo, Newcastle (December 2025 to May 2033) – Extend existing services to call at Stevenage.
  • Lumo, Edinburgh-Glasgow extensions – Four return services between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street on weekdays, five services on Saturdays and three services on Sundays, with an additional Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh service daily.

The ORR said it rejected other proposed services from the above applicants, based on insufficient capacity and potential performance impacts, or impact on the Secretary of State’s funds.

The rail regulator also rejected an application from Hull Trains for new services between London King’s Cross and Sheffield.

In making its decisions, ORR said it put weight on its duties to promote the use of Britain’s rail network, help give certainty to train operators, promote competition for the benefit of passengers and have regard to the funds available to the Secretary of State.

In Quotes

Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, said:

“Approving these additional open access services will increase connectivity on the East Coast Main Line. Importantly, we have ensured the approval of these services can be accommodated alongside the major service uplifts by other operators, which have been planned into the December 2025 timetable, so together passengers and freight customers can benefit from more direct connections and greater choice from December.”

Capacity on the East Coast Main Line remains an issue

Like the West Coast Main Line, the East Coast Main Line is fast approaching capacity, with competition from other passenger traffic (be it from LNER, Great Northern, Northern Trains, Transpennie Express or Tyne and Wear Metro), Freight Traffic (with DB, Freightliner and GBRF), all wanting access to the rail network to operate their mandated and commericl service.

It’s worse at the London end of the East Coast Main Line, where capacity is very tight. And of course, everyone wants to serve London.

If only there were some sort of rail line that could be built in the United Kingdom, that… let’s say adds extra capacity at high speed, that had a branch to the North East and North West of England, to relieve the busy East and West Coast Main lines, to allow express and long distance trains to use that route, freeing up capacity on the other lines for innovative services, more frequent local services and more rail frieght.

Pipe dream stuff.


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

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Filed Under: MultiModal Connectivity, Rail, Rail Travel

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