FirstGroup Applies To Run Rail Services Between Hereford And London via Cwmbran
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from FirstGroup.
These first two paragraphs, add more detail to the title.
FirstGroup plc has submitted the first phase of an application for a new open access rail service between Hereford and London to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
FirstGroup plans to expand its open access rail operations as part of its successful Lumo business, building on Lumo’s existing service which has transformed long-distance connectivity between London and Edinburgh. This has helped materially grow rail demand on the East Coast Mainline in recent years, through a new and enhanced choice for customers and providing more trains to more destinations.
These are some more points from the press release.
Route and Frequency
The news item says this about route and frequency.
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 OpenRailwayMap shows the route between Bristol Parkway and Pontypool & New Inn stations.
Note.
- Bristol Parkway station is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Severn Tunnel Junction station is marked by the blue arrow in the middle of the map.
- The electrified South Wales Main Line connects Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction stations.
- From Bristol Parkway, the electrified Great Western Main Line goes to London Paddington via Swindon and Reading.
- From Severn Tunnel Junction station the South Wales Main Line goes West to Newport, which is on this map and then to Cardiff, Swansea and West Wales.
- Pontypool & New Inn station is in the North-West corner of the map on the Welsh Marches Line between Newport and Crewe stations.
- Welsh Marches Line is connected to the South Wales Main Line at Maindee triangular junction, which is a few miles East of Newport station.
- Cwmbran station is on the Welsh Marches Line between Newport and Pontypool & New Inn stations.
After a quick look on Wikipedia and Real Time Trains, it appears that few if any trains run in either direction between Cwmbran and Severn Tunnel Junction stations using the North-East side of Maindee junction.
Lumo’s trains would use this route to go between Bristol Park and Pontypool & New Inn stations via Severn Tunnel Junction, and Cwmbran.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the Northern part of the route between Pontypool & New Inn and Hereford stations.
Note.
- The orange track is the Welsh Marshes Line between Newport and Crewe.
- Pontypool & New Inn station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Abergavenny station is on the West side of the map.
- Hereford station is in the North-East corner of the map.
Looking at the route as a whole, it is a very simple route.
- Trains go as fast as traffic allows, non-stop to Bristol Parkway station.
- Trains then take the South Wales Main Line with a single stop at Severn Tunnel Junction station to Maindee Junction, just to the East of Newport.
- Trains then take the Welsh Marches Line to Hereford stopping at Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn and Abergavenny stations.
It is an innovative route, that has these advantages.
- It uses a little-used leg of Maindee Junction.
- London Paddington and Maindee Junction is electrified.
- The fastest Hitachi trains seem to take about one hour and forty minutes between London Paddington and Maindee Junction.
As direct trains between Newport and Hereford take around fifty minutes, a time of two-and-a-half hours between London Paddington and Hereford could be possible.
This would compare with current Great Western Railway services, which take upwards of two hour and forty-five minutes, which often have a change of train.
Lumo Trains Should Be Faster Between London Paddington And Bristol Parkway
This may seem surprising, but most if not all current services stop between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway, stop at Swindon and Reading.
Cutting out a stop saves a few minutes on the journey.
New Trains
The news item says this about new trains.
The new Hereford service would support further investment in new trains. In December 2024 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.
Yesterday, I went to North Wales and used Avanti West Coast from Euston. The trains both ways were new Class 805 trains, which are bi-mode versions of Lumo’s Class 803 trains. These Class 805 trains travel all the way between Crewe and Holyhead on their diesel engines, so the much shorter leg between Maindee Junction and Hereford will definitely be in range.
But Hitachi are developing battery-electric versions of these trains and as there-and-back between Maindee Junction and Hereford is only 88 miles, I wouldn’t be surprised in a couple of years that Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn, Abergavenny and Hereford stations have a direct electric service from London.
Services At Hereford
The news item says this about services at Hereford station.
For Hereford, the two direct London paths each weekday would increase services on this flow from four today, to six. The new services would help mitigate the current large gaps in the timetable with additional daytime and evening arrivals into London, giving Hereford more regular connectivity. The new services would also provide the stations on the route with new direct journey opportunities to Bristol Parkway.
I also believe it would be a faster, fully electric service.
Services At Abergavenny
The Wikipedia entry for Abergavenny station says this about services at the station.
With a few exceptions, the weekday daytime service pattern typically sees one train per hour in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central, with most trains continuing beyond Cardiff to Swansea and West Wales. There is also a two-hourly service between Cardiff and the North Wales Coast Line to Holyhead via Wrexham General. These services are all operated by Transport for Wales. The northbound Premier service from Cardiff to Holyhead calls here on Monday to Fridays but the southbound service does not call here.
Note.
- The station has partial step-free access
- The station has 74 parking spaces.
Two trains in each direction would improve the services at Abergavenny station.
Services At Pontypool & New Inn
The Wikipedia entry for Pontypool & New Inn station says this about services at the station.
On weekdays and Saturdays, there is generally a two hourly service between Holyhead and Cardiff in the middle of the day, with additional peak time services southbound in the mornings and northbound in the evenings for commuters to Newport and Cardiff. These include services between Manchester Piccadilly and West Wales via Crewe and Swansea. From December 2013 the evening northbound Arriva “Premier” service train began to call at Pontypool for the first time. The southbound service in the morning does not call here. On Sundays, an irregular service operates, with 8 trains calling southbound and 10 northbound. These mainly run between Manchester and Cardiff.
Note.
- The station is step-free with lifts.
- The station has 150 parking spaces.
Two trains in each direction would improve the services at Pontypool and New Inn station.
Services At Cwmbran
The Wikipedia entry for Cwmbran station says this about services at the station.
Services that stop at Cwmbran in both directions are all operated by Transport for Wales and include the hourly service between Manchester Piccadilly, Cardiff Central and West Wales and the two hourly service between Holyhead and Cardiff Central. Most Sunday services only run on the former route (there are only two services each way to/from Holyhead).
Note.
- The station is being made step-free with lifts.
- The station has 76 parking spaces.
Two trains in each direction would improve the services at Pontypool and New Inn station.
The Heads Of The Valleys Road
The A465 or Heads of the Valleys Road could be considered the South Wlaes equivalent of the North of England’s M62 Motorway.
This description is from the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry.
Approximately following the southern boundary of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder guide describes it as the unofficial border between rural and industrial South Wales. The A465 provides an alternative route between England and the counties in South West Wales and to the ferries to Ireland.
This Google Map shows its route between Merthyr Tydfil and Abergavenny.
Note.
- Merthyr Tydfil is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Abergavenny is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The full length of the road is just under seventy miles.
- The Heads of the Valleys Road connects to all the towns, that are the Northern termini of the South Wales Metro.
- At it’s Western end, the A 465 connects to the M4 near Swansea.
The news item says this about the tourism benefits of the service.
The new service is expected to have positive economic and social benefits for the communities it serves. Both of FirstGroup’s open access services Lumo and Hull Trains are on track to deliver more than £1.4bn in economic benefits along their routes and FirstGroup hopes to have a similar positive effect for the South Wales and Herefordshire communities.
The service should also provide a convenient link for visitors travelling to the Brecon Beacons/ Bannau Brycheiniog National Park; Blaenavon World Heritage Site and cathedral city of Hereford, driving growth and supporting jobs in the area’s tourism sector.
I do wonder if other tourism related services will be developed at Pontypool & New Inn, Abergavenny and Hereford?
Monmouthshire
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for Monmouthshire gives a flavour of the Welsh county.
The county is rural, although adjacent to the city of Newport and the urbanised South Wales Valleys; it has an area of 330 square miles (850 km2) and a population of 93,000. After Abergavenny (population, 12,515), the largest towns are Chepstow (12,350), Monmouth (10,508), and Caldicot (9,813).
I was surprised that the population of the county, was as high as 93,000.
This second paragraph, lists the railway stations.
Monmouthshire is served by four railway stations: in the south are the Severn Tunnel Junction railway station at Rogiet on the South Wales Main Line, which connects South Wales to London; and Chepstow railway station and Caldicot railway station on the Gloucester–Newport line; and in the north, Abergavenny railway station on the Welsh Marches line.
Severn Tunnel Junction and Abergavenny stations will be served by Lumo’s new service.
From my experience of using parkway stations in East Anglia with connections to London, I suspect residents of several towns outside of Monmouthshire will use these two stations for trips to the capital.
Are plans in place for extra parking and bus services?
Travelling To And From Heathrow Airport
I wouldn’t be surprised if Lumo picks up quite a few passengers, who are going to and from Heathrow.
Consider.
- I suspect Severn Tunnel Junction to London Paddington will take about one hour and forty minutes, with just the single stop at Bristol Parkway.
- The Elizabeth Line to the Airport will take 28 minutes and cost £13.90, according to Transport for London.
- The Elizabeth Line is an easy step-free change from National Rail at Paddington.
- Elizabeth Line trains between Paddington and Heathrow are every six minutes.
- It’s not a very long walk at Heathrow between the Elizabeth Line and the terminals.
- Driving from say Monmouth to Heathrow will take about two-and-a-quarter hours and cost you to cross the Severn Bridge and for parking.
If your local Great Western Main Line station is between say Chippenham and Cardiff, you might be surprised at how fast and affordable it can be to go to and from Heathrow by Great Western Railway and Elizabeth Line.
When Lumo starts running to Heathrow, I am sure it will be faster, as the trains will not stop East of Bristol Parkway station.
Running In Conjunction With Services Between London Paddington And Carmarthen
The news item says this about running services in conjunction with Lumo’s services to Carmarthen.
The service would operate in conjunction with the planned service from London to Carmarthen which is due to launch in December 2027, and it is anticipated it could begin at the same time.
Consider.
- Both routes are identical between London Paddington and Maindee Junction.
- Both routes could share depots.
- Hitachi’s trains can split and join with alacrity.
- Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains have twenty-six metre cars, which mean a five-car train is 130 metres long.
- Bristol Parkway station has 280 metre long platforms. Pairs of trains could split and join here.
- Seven Tunnel Junction has three 171 metre long platforms. Pairs of trains could not use this station, unless the platforms were lengthened.
- Newport station has three platforms longer than 278 metres. Pairs of trains could split and join here, if the Hereford trains reversed direction.
I suspect if trains split and joined, it would be at Bristol Parkway station.
Note that Bristol Parkway station has 1,800 car park spaces, so Lumo could target passengers wanting to park and take the train to London, Cardiff, Newport and other Welsh destinations.
Co-operation With Great Western Railway
In Does Innovation Get Mr. Ed Miliband Better Prices To Doncaster?, I talked about the ticketing on the East Coast Main Line.
It appears to me, that if you put more seats on a popular route, like King’s Cross and Doncaster, then the availability drives down prices.
I also believe that if the tickets are all available through a common walk-up system, then this fills the seats.
The system has now been applied to the West Coast Main Line and I believe that if Great Western Railway and Lumo collaborated on ticketing, this would improve competition between London Paddington, Bristol Parkway and Cardiff.
There is also the issue of train rescue.
Supposing a pair of five-car Hitachi trains broke down with a fault, that allowed the train to be towed to the nearest station, so that passengers could be disembarked.
Hitachi trains are designed, so that up to twenty-four trains can be joined together in rescue mode.
That would certainly be an impressive sight.
Uber Partners With Gemini For Channel Tunnel Train Plan
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These two introductory paragraphs give more details.
Ridesharing app company Uber has announced a co-branding partnership with Gemini Trains, which is developing plans to launch open access passenger services through the Channel Tunnel.
Gemini plans to purchase 10-newly designed trains to offer ‘comfortable high-quality and frequent’ services with competitive fares, running from London Stratford International station – which has never been used for international services – to Paris Nord and Brussels Midi. All trains would call at Ebbsfleet International, which Eurostar no longer serves. Gemini also plans to expand services to ‘further exciting European destinations’, suggesting that Paris and Brussels are ‘just the start’.
It looks like Gemini Trains will run the trains and Uber will help with marketing, publicity and ticket sales.
After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
These three paragraphs describe the last journey.
With a muted fanfare the UK’s longest train rolled out of Aberdeen on Friday morning for its final sojourn down to Penzance, ending a service that connected both ends of the country for more than 100 years.
The 8.20am CrossCountry train took 13 hours and 20 minutes, with stops at 35 stations along the way, to cover the 774-mile route. Passengers spent more than two hours of the journey in the stations.
The service, which was launched in 1921, headed south through York, Bristol, Taunton and Truro on its way past some of the country’s finest landscapes, and arrived in Penzance at 9.31pm.
Looking at a ticket site and it appears that by using two trains from Aberdeen to King’s Cross and Paddington to Penzance you can be a few minutes faster, if you know your Underground.
This route will get quicker.
- As the East Coast Main Line rolls out its new digital signalling, this should speed up trains, by allowing some running at 140 mph instead of the current 125 mph.
- LNER will also be bringing their new tri-mode (electric/battery/diesel) trains into service, which could give some speed improvements on the diesel section North of the Forth Bridge in terms of speed and ride noise, especially as ScotRail will be partially electrifying part of this section.
- GWR should also be upgrading some of their fleet to tri-mode, which should improve speed and ride noise on the sections, where the route is not electrified.
- CrossCountry could compete, by buying new trains, but it would be a big financial risk, as the London route should get quicker, as track improvements and increased use of digital signalling speed up services from London to Aberdeen and Penzance.
CrossCountry ‘s owner; Arriva isn’t standing still, but have applied for extra Grand Central open access services on the East Coast Main Line to Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes and a new service from Newcastle to Brighton via Birmingham, which will partly fill the gap caused by the loss of the Aberdeen and Penzance service, by linking with GWR at Reading and LNER at Newcastle.
Key Rail Route To London Scrapped A Year Ago Could Return – Here’s Why
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Shropshire Star.
This is the sub-heading.
A key railway line to London that was scrapped a year ago, could be set for a return.
This is said in the article.
South Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson is among those who has thrown his support behind plans to restore direct rail services to London, after Avanti ceased to operate the route almost a year ago in June 2024.
On March 12, Mr Anderson met with Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR) who have developed the plans.
If their application is approved, it would see the return of direct services between Wrexham and London via Shropshire. WSMR, the aspirant open access operator, plans to deliver five daily train services between the county and capital city.
It’s only sketchy information and given the Government’s lukewarm support for open access services, I don’t hold out much hope, especially as Stuart Anderson is a Conservative MP.
Arriva Group Submits Open Access Rail Application To Connect Newcastle And Brighton, Via London Gatwick
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Arriva Group.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- New services operated by Arriva’s Grand Central would introduce a direct rail connection between the Northeast and Midlands to London Gatwick and the South Coast.
- Making better use of available network capacity, the proposed route would connect underserved communities in the UK and enhance long-distance connectivity without the need to interchange through London.
- The application reflects Arriva’s wider European strategy to connect people and places through sustainable transport solutions, strengthening regional economies and supporting modal shift.
This introductory paragraph provides more details.
Arriva Group has today announced it is submitting an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to introduce a new direct rail service between Newcastle and Brighton, via London Gatwick, providing vital connectivity for underserved communities along the route.
Other points to note include.
- There will be five trains per day in each direction.
- The proposed service would call at Durham, Darlington, Northallerton, York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Birmingham New Street, Warwick Parkway, Banbury, Oxford, Reading, Wokingham, Guildford, Redhill, London Gatwick and Haywards Heath.
- The service would be operated by Grand Central.
- The service could be introduced from December 2026.
It will be the be the first direct service between Newcastle and Brighton.
This final paragraph outlines where the service fits in Arriva’s wider philosophy.
The plans are part of Arriva Group’s broader commitment to strengthening regional connectivity and making better use of available rail capacity. By opening up new travel corridors, Arriva is helping to connect more people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities – and to encourage a greater shift from private cars to public transport.
There are certainly plenty of places in Europe, that could use a service like this one between Brighton and Newcastle.
In The Ultimate Open Access Service, I describe a possible open access service between Amsterdam and Hamburg, which is about the same distance as Brighton and Newcastle, which is 372.8 miles by Arriva’s proposed route.
These are some of my thoughts in no particular order.
A High-Class Service Between Oxford And Brighton Could Be An Interesting Development In Its Own Right
Governments, rail operators and passenger groups of all persuasions and flavours have warmly welcomed the planned reopening of the rail route between Oxford and Cambridge.
I suspect an Oxford and Brighton service would be equally welcomed.
Brighton may not be an academic powerhouse yet, but it does have one thing that Oxford and Cambridge lack ; the sea.
Gatwick Airport Will Surely Welcome The Extra Connectivity
Gatwick Airport will expand and extra rail services will do the following for the airport.
- Make it easier to get the planning permission for the second runway.
- Make it easier for passengers and airport and airline staff to get to the airport.
- Surely, the more direct rail connections the airport has, will increase the likelihood, that families and other groups, will choose to fly from Gatwick.
- More train services could cut the amount of car parking per flight needed at the airport.
Gatwick Airport station has recently rebuilt and added extra capacity, so I doubt there will be trouble accommodating another ten trains per day.
Would The Army Welcome The New Service?
Two of the British Army’s main training areas are in North Yorkshire and in Surrey.
Would they find a train service between the two areas useful?
What Trains Will Grand Central Trains Use For The New Service?
In Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry, I talked about how Grand Central will be acquiring Hitachi trains for their routes between London and Bradford and Sunderland.
- These will be Hitachi tri-mode trains.
- The trains will have a range of over forty miles on batteries.
- They will probably be serviced in Yorkshire or the North-East.
- The trains will be built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe, with batteries from Turntide Technologies in Sunderland.
- The first trains will be delivered in 2028.
As Arriva intend to start services from December 2026, they would probably use diesel trains to start with.
I would expect that Grand Central would go for a unified fleet, which would mean more Hitachi tri-mode trains.
For convenience, they could all be serviced at Doncaster, which all Grand Central services will pass through.
What Sections Will Not Be Electrified Between Brighton and Newcastle?
As far as I can see from OpenRailwayMap, the following sections of the route are not electrified.
- Two sections of the North Downs Line – 29 miles.
- Didcot and Birmingham New Street – 80.9 miles
- Birmingham New Street and Derby – 41.3 miles
- Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles
- Sheffield and Doncaster – 18.4 miles
Note.
- Electrification South of Reading will be third rail, so some trains will need to have third-rail shoes.
- The length without electrification is a total of 206 miles.
- As Newcastle and Doncaster, Redhill and Brighton, Reading and Didcot, and Birmingham New Street station are all electrified, the longest sections the trains would run without electrification would be between Didcot and Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Doncaster.
- The planned electrification between Derby and Sheffield would make life easier.
It appears that trains capable of handling a hundred miles of unelectrified railway are needed.
Hitachi have shown that a five-car train with one battery will travel 70 km (43.5 miles) on a full battery, so one with three batteries should be able to manage the hundred miles needed in a few years.
Will Any Extra Electrification Be Needed?
I think Birmingham New Street station will be the critical point.
- The next electrification on the route to the South of Birmingham New Street is at Didcot, which is 80.9 miles away.
- The next electrification on the route to the North of Birmingham New Street is at Doncaster, which is 96.1 miles away.
These battery ranges should be possible, but an alternative would be to provide an electrified platform at one or more intermediate stations to be safe.
Stations that could be equipped to the South would include Oxford and Banbury and to the North would include Burton-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield.
Perhaps electrifying a single platform at these stations, should be the first thing to be done, so that battery-electric trains can run on some useful routes as soon as they are delivered and approved.
Electric Trains, Even Battery-Electric Ones, Will Be Quick Off The Mark
Electric trains have good acceleration and I wonder, if this acceleration will enable stops, that are not feasible with diesel trains to be fitted in with electric trains, without having to take the same time penalty.
This might allow useful stops to be added to the service.
- Chesterfield is not mentioned, but most trains passing through stop.
- As I said, Farnborough North could be a useful stop for the Army.
- There might be a case for selective stopping patterns.
Battery-electric trains stop without any noise or pollution.
Connection To The Ivanhoe Line At Burton-on-Trent
The proposed Ivanhoe Line is intended to link Burton-on-Trent and Leicester.
As it is intended that the Newcastle and Brighton service will call ten times per day at Burton-on-Trent station, this must surely improve the economics of the Ivanhoe Line.
Are there any other new or reopened rail schemes, that will be helped by the proposed Brighton and Newcastle service?
Updated Frequencies At Sheffield
Currently, trains at Sheffield have these daily frequencies to the towns and cities on the proposed Newcastle and Brighton route.
- Newcastle – 18
- Durham – 16
- Darlington – 15
- Northallerton – 0
- York – 19
- Doncaster – 64
- Derby – 58
- Burton-on-Trent – 9
- Birmingham New Street – 21
- Warwick Parkway – 0
- Banbury – 0
- Oxford – 3
- Reading – 4
- Wokingham – 0
- Guildford – 0
- Redhill – 0
- London Gatwick – 0
- Haywards Heath – 0
- Brighton – 0
Note.
- Sheffield gets five trains per day (tpd) direct connections to nine new destinations.
- Other useful destinations will get five more tpd.
- Reading is a useful interchange for Wales and the West.
- Guildford is a useful interchange for Portsmouth, Southampton and West Surrey.
- Reading and Guildford have coach services to Heathrow.
There are also a large number of universities along the route.
Hitachi Can Offer A One-Supplier Battery-Electric Train Solution
It should be noted that Hitachi can offer a complete package including battery-electric trains and all the electrification, transformers and other electrical gubbins needed.
So perhaps for the Chiltern Main Line, which is used for part of the route between Didcot and Birmingham, Hitachi could deliver a one-supplier solution, that would also electrify Chiltern’s services between Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street.
Remember, Chiltern are another Arriva Group company.
If Hitachi get this right, I can see other lines being electrified in this way.
Could This One-Supplier Battery-Electric Solution Be Exported?
I discussed this in Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry, where I suggested that the United States could be a market.
- Arriva Group are ultimately American-owned.
- Hitachi’s battery technology is also American-owned.
In these days of Trump’s tariffs, these could prove useful facts.
As Arriva Group used to be owned by Deutsche Bahn, they may be another interested party, especially as they have a lot of lines, where I believe Hitachi’s solution would work.
Conclusion
A battery-electric railway service of nearly four hundred miles would certainly attract the passengers.
Does Innovation Get Mr. Ed Miliband Better Prices To Doncaster?
The East Coast Main Line has ticketing unlike any other in the UK.
Turn up at any LNER station to go to any station that is served by trains from that station and you will be given a choice of the best prices at the ticket machines or at the booking office.
Effectively, you are sold your choice of the cheapest Advance tickets for your journey, at the time of booking.
In the last few months, I have taken three trips from London to Doncaster. All were priced between £20 and £25, with one trip on each of Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER.
Some might argue it is because of the three Open Access operators on the route, that good value is available. But I would argue that it is down to the fact that because of the Open Access operators there is more seats on the route.
This ticketing model should be adopted on the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.
The ticketing has certainly modified my behaviour.
If I want to go to Sheffield, I go to Doncaster, as it’s a lot cheaper, then get a local train between Doncaster and Sheffield.
Ed Miliband Is A Doncaster MP
When he is going between his Doncaster North constituency and London, does he use last minute ticketing?
FirstGroup Makes Last-Minute Open Access Plea
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railnews.
The article is definitely worth a full read.
A little bit of competition never hurt anybody, unless they weren’t very good.
I have already decided to give Great Socialist Railways a miss, unless I have a desperate need.
Grand Central To Submit Application For Direct Services Between Lincolnshire And London
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Grand Central.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Grand Central has today launched an application process for direct services between Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Habrough, Scunthorpe and London – plans to bring significant benefits to underserved areas.
- The application will be welcomed by communities, businesses, and organisations, who have been actively campaigning for the introduction of direct rail links to London.
- If approved, the new services could unlock £30.1 million annually for the region.
These three paragraphs add more details.
Grand Central has today notified Network Rail of its plans to operate new direct services between Lincolnshire and London that, if approved by the rail regulator (the ORR), will bring significant benefits to underserved areas across Lincolnshire and the wider region.
Under the proposals, direct services to London will be provided from Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Habrough, and Scunthorpe, with Grand Central planning to operate the services from as early as December 2026.
The plan makes best use of capacity on the rail network by running trains from the proposed new stops before connecting into existing Grand Central services at Doncaster.
The service seems very similar to the proposed King’s Cross and Cleethorpes service described in the this section of the Grand Central Wikipedia entry, where this is said.
In December 2017, Grand Central announced plans to bid for a service from London King’s Cross to Cleethorpes in early 2018 for a date in 2020. It would involve the existing Bradford Interchange service extended to ten coaches from London to Doncaster then dividing with five coaches going to Cleethorpes via Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby. The other five coaches would be the existing service to Bradford Interchange. This proposal would require permission for a split of trains as it has not been used on the East Coast Main Line before. In February 2018, Grand Central announced plans for an additional call at Crow The company planned to operate four trains per day from 2020. However, in July 2018, the Office of Rail and Road announced new access charges which would affect the business case for the new service, leading to Grand Central announcing that it would delay bidding until 2019.
Note.
- It appears that the service is not calling at Crow.
- By splitting and joining at Doncaster, Grand Central will be getting more coaches and passengers, up and down a single path between King’s Cross and Doncaster stations.
- Grand Central run four trains per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange, so as four tpd will be running between King’s Cross and Doncaster stations, it appears Grand Central will be running a full service.
It appears that open access applications come to those who wait eight years.
I have some further thoughts.
What Class Of Trains Do Grand Central Currently Use?
According to Real Time Trains on Friday the 21st of March 2025, two Class 180 trains and two Class 221 trains each ran a service between King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange stations.
Both type of train appear to be able to run as a pair of trains.
As Bradford is the UK City of Culture in 2025, that could prove useful.
What Trains Will Grand Central Use For The New Service?
It would appear that either type of train type could run the service,
So it would probably come down to factors like reliability, comfort and what is available.
I Was Mildly Surprised When I Saw This Application Had Gone In
But, circumstances change.
- Grand Central now run two Class 221 trains, in addition to the Class 180 trains.
- There are more Class 221 trains in store, if needed.
- The UK has had several changes of government since the original application in 2017 and track-access charges may have been reduced.
- Cleethorpes station has been refurbished.
Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023 shows the station in 2023.
But a new problem has arisen. The new Transport Secretary doesn’t seem keen on open access services, from some of the things she’s said.
Perhaps, she has had a change of heart or as she looks to be a good doer, someone has bought her a decent meal of fish and chips in Cleethorpes? My meal in the town is described in Lunch On The Pier In Cleethorpes.
But would Grand Central put in an application, if they knew they were wasting their money?
Or could this be an application funded by all the open access operators to get a definitive view on the government’s policy?
Could The Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Trains?
Consider.
- Doncaster and Cleethorpes are 52.1 miles apart.
- Surprisingly Doncaster and Bradford Interchange are 52.1 miles apart.
- King’s Cross and Doncaster are 155.9 miles apart and fully-electrified.
- A battery that had enough capacity to do the return trips from Doncaster to either Cleethorpes or Bradford Interchange, would be easily recharged on the way to and from London.
With careful calculation of the battery size and good capacity management, I also suspect a battery-electric train could be able to take the GNGE Diversion via Lincoln.
Could The Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Hydrogen-Electric Trains?
Consider the daily services will be made up of these runs.
- Eight runs between London and Bradford Interchange each consisting of 155.9 miles on wires and 52.1 miles on hydrogen.
- Eight runs between London and Cleethorpes each consisting of 155.9 miles on wires and 52.1 miles on hydrogen.
Which means there are 833.6 miles per day run on hydrogen.
If there are four trains running the service as now, that is 208.4 miles per train per day on hydrogen.
A hydrogen-powered train with this daily range is very much a possibility.
The German Dimension To Grand Central Trains
Consider.
- Grand Central are owned by Arriva.
- Arriva are owned by Deutche Bahn.
- Siemens have a train factory at Goole close to Doncaster.
- Siemens have built quite a few electric multiple units for various UK railways.
- Siemens have designs for battery-electric and hydrogen-electric multiple units, that would be suitable for Grand Central Trains.
- Jürgen Maier was senior in Siemens UK, when the train factory at Goole was built and is now chair of Great British Energy.
I believe that Siemens at Goole could build trains, that would do nicely for Grand Central Trains.
- It would surely be handy for Grand Central Trains to have their fleet stabled in easy reach of the factory.
- In addition, hydrogen will soon be readily-available in the Doncaster area.
Grand Central trains could do a lot worse than buy trains built or assembled at Siemen’s factory at Goole.
Times Of Avanti West Coast Trains Between London Euston And Crewe
This table shows the first few Avanti West Coast trains between London Euston and Crewe on the 17th March 2025.
- 390119 – IS37 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 05:31 – 07:29 – 2 stops – 118 mins – 80.3 mph.
- 390155 – IH61 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 06:29 – 08:08 – 2 stops – 99 mins – 95.7 mph.
- 807007 – IF11 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 06:36 – 08:23 – 2 stops – 107 mins – 88.6 mph.
- 390104 – IS42 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 07:29 – 08:59 – 0 stops – 90 mins – 105.3 mph
- 390010 – IH62 – Manchester Piccadilly – 9 cars – 07:33 – 09:10 – 1 stop – 97 mins – 97.7 mph.
- 390044 – IF12 – Liverpool Lime Street – 9 cars – 07:43 – 09:18 – 2 stops – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
- 390118 – IS45 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 08:30 – 10:01 – 0 stops – 91 mins – 104.2 mph
- 390040 – IH63 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 08:33 – 10:19 – 1 stop – 106 mins – 89.4 mph.
- 807001 – IF14 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 08:43 – 10:28 – 1 stop – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
- 805001/805011 – ID83 – Holyhead – 10 cars – 09:02 – 10:51 – 1 stop – 109 mins – 86.9 mph.
- 390136 – IS48 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 09:30 – 11:02 – 0 stops – 92 mins – 103.0 mph
- 390040 – IH64 – Manchester Piccadilly – 9 cars – 09:33 – 11:08 – 1 stop – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
- 390154 – IF16 – Liverpool Lime Street – 11 cars – 09:43 – 11:31 – 1 stop – 108 mins – 87.7 mph.
- 805012/805003 – ID84 – Chester – 10 cars – 10:10 – 11:53 – 1 stop – 103 mins – 92.0 mph.
- 390130 – IS52 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 10:30 – 12:00 – 0 stops – 90 mins – 105.3 mph
- 390151 – IH65 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 10:35 – 12:09 – 1 stop – 94 mins – 100.8 mph.
- 807008 – IF18 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 10:43 – 12:30 – 1 stop – 107 mins – 88.6 mph.
- 805009 – ID85 – Chester – 5 cars – 11:00 – 11:46 – 1 stop – 106 mins – 89.4 mph.
Note.
- All trains shown, go through Crewe.
- Some trains were delayed, hence their slow average speed.
- The Glasgow trains, which run non-stop from Euston to Warrington Bank Quay were the fastest, with four trains over 100 mph.
I have a few other thoughts.
The Class 805 Trains Are Crying Out For Batteries
In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I said this on how the Hitachi Class 80x trains will perform on batteries.
These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains.
- The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
- A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
- The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.
Holyhead and Crewe is only 105.5 miles.
As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.
The Fast Glasgow Train Appears To Be Leading A Convoy
The non-stop to Warrington Bank Quay Glasgow trains, also appear to be leading one Manchester Piccadilly, a Liverpool Lime Street and a Chester/North Wales train in a convoy, through Milton Keynes Central and the Trent Valley.
This convoy could grow as other services are added to the West Coast Main Line.
The Open Access Services Might Have Their Own Convoy
It would seem to me, that it might be possible to run a second convoy every hour, out of phase with the current one following the Glasgow service.
It also might be more virtual than real and under the control of the digital signalling, that will be installed on the line.
DfT Objects To Eight Open Access Applications
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the March 2025 Edition of Modern Railways.
Surprise! Suprise! There are no prizes for innovation and risk, to be given out by Starmer’s Government Of All The Lawyers.
- Alliance Rail – Cardiff and Edinburgh – opposed
- Grand Central – London and York – opposed
- Hull Trains – London and Hull – opposed
- Hull Trains – London and Sheffield – opposed
- Lumo – London and Glasgow – opposed
- Lumo – London and Rochdale – opposed
- Virgin Trains – London and Liverpool – opposed
- Virgin Trains – London and Glasgow – opposed
Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway – London and Wrexham – supported.
Splitting And Joining Of Trains
Several of the objections, seem to be on grounds of capacity.
So why not pair up some services and split and join at a convenient station?
Hull Trains – A Hull and a Sheffield service could start together in London and split in Retford.
Lumo – A Newcastle and an Edinburgh service could start together in London and split in Newcastle.
Lumo – An Edinburgh and a Glasgow service could start together in London and split in Edinburgh.
Virgin Trains – A Liverpool and a Glasgow service would start together in London and split in Crewe.
A Bad Decision
I believe the Government’s decision is a very bad one.
At the weekend I wrote Sutton Station To Gatwick Airport By Hydrogen-Powered Bus, about my trip in a hydrogen-powered bus to Gatwick-Airport.
- The quality, performance and roadholding of this new zero-carbon bus was superb.
- I can’t wait to try out Wrightbus’s new hydrogen-powered coach in the next twelve months.
- In the future, I can see high speed hydrogen coaches steaming along the motorways of the UK and Ireland.
Hydrogen-powered coaches will do for cheap travel on the roads of these islands, what Ryanair and easyJet for did above our heads.
The Anonymous Widower 