Arriva Group has submitted an application to the rail regulator to significantly expand capacity for its services connecting London Kings Cross to the North. Grand Central, the transport company’s open access subsidiary, is looking for two additional return services between Bradford and London and an additional early morning connection from York, with an evening return. Its request to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will add over 550,00 extra seats annually between the UK capital and northern destinations, an uplift of more than 30 per cent of what is available today.
Services would launch around May 2025. David Brown, managing director of Arriva’s UK Trains division, said: “These proposals would bring more services and choice to passengers, building on the success of Grand Central’s open access operations, which connect a number of under-served communities in both the North East and West Yorkshire to London. “This is a growth opportunity for the railway and a positive development for passengers and for our colleagues at Grand Central.
“By delivering additional services through open access, we can encourage more train travel, which is good for the environment and for communities, helping to ensure Britain’s rail system can thrive long into the future.” Open access is a growing model designed to boost competition with traditional train operator’s, in which companies take full commercial risk and are not subject to hefty government franchising fees. It is be.
