Another
operator

is
bidding
to
expand
the
range
of
open
access
services.

Arriva,
which
owns
Grand
Central,
says
an
application
has
been
submitted
to
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
to
run
two
additional
daily
return
services
between
Bradford
and
London,
with
up
to
eight
intermediate
station
calls.
This
would
bring
the
daily
total
of
trains
on
the
route
to
six.

It
is
also
proposing
to
run
a
new
early
morning
York-London
journey,
with
a
return
working
in
the
late
evening,
as
well
as
providing
four
new
daily
calls
on
its
Sunderland
route
at
Seaham
in
County
Durham,
which
would
give
the
town
direct
London
trains
for
the
first
time.

Arriva
UK
managing
director
David
Brown
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.’

The
move
by
Arriva
to
expand
Grand
Central
follows
several
other
open
access
developments
in
recent
months.

Grand
Union
has
already
gained
a
licence
to
run
between
London
and
Carmarthen,
but
on
7
March
the
ORR
approved
another
application
from
GU,
this
time
between
London
Euston
and
Stirling
via
Larbert,
Greenfaulds
and
Whifflet.

A
week
later,
Alstom
and
SLC
Rail
submitted
an
open
access
proposal
to
the
ORR
for
services
between
London,
Shropshire
and
Wrexham,
recalling
the
former
Wrexham
and
Shropshire
operation
but
using
London
Euston
rather
than
Marylebone,
approaching
London
on
the
West
Coast
Main
Line
from
Nuneaton
and
Milton
Keynes.

On
17
May
FirstGroup
unveiled
plans
for
more
open
access
services
on
the
West
Coast
Main
Line
between
Rochdale
and
London
Euston,
which
would
also
be
branded
Lumo.
There
would
be
six
daily
return
journeys.

The
latest
development
until
Arriva’s
proposals
had
been
an
application
from
Virgin
for
new
services
from
London
Euston
to
Birmingham,
Manchester,
Liverpool
and
Glasgow.

The
Conservatives
are
in
favour
of
private
sector
rail
operators
in
general,
while
Labour
has
said
that
if
it
is
elected
open
access
services
would
continue,
but
potentially
under
new
guidance
to
the
ORR
from
the
transport
secretary.