The Anonymous Widower

Alliance Rail Are Thinking Big

In the UK, there is provision for allowing what are called open access operators on UK railways. This is Wikipedia’s definition.

An open access operator is a train operating company that is not subject to franchising, instead purchasing individual slots on the mainline from a railway infrastructure company.

The three most well-known open access operators in the UK are Eurostar, First Hull Trains and Grand Central Railway.

A new company called Alliance Rail, who incidentally are the parent company of Grand Central is trying to join them.

They are proposing to have two train companies Great North Western Railway and Great North Eastern Railway running on the West and East Coast Main Lines respectively.

Services which would be run using six-car Class 390 Pendolinos are proposed as follows.

GNWR

London Euston – Blackpool North (six daily)

London Euston – Leeds (six daily)

GNER

London King’s Cross – Edinburgh – (hourly)

London King’s Cross – Bradford/Ilkley – (two hourly)

London – Cleethorpes – (up to four daily)

In addition towns and cities like Dewsbury, Eccles, Grimsby, Huddersfield, Newton-le-Willows, Scunthorpe and Stalybridge will get direct services to London.

It is an ambitious plan and I suspect that Virgin and Stagecoach will use everything in their power to strangle this upstart before it starts.

April 9, 2015 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Alliance Rail, Trains, Virgin Trains