Open
access
operator
FirstGroup
is
considering
running
trains
elsewhere
in
Europe,
where
more
routes
are
being
opened
up
to
competition,
but
it
signalled
last
night
that
it
is
still
planning
to
stay
on
the
rails
in
Britaiin,
in
spite
of
nationalisation.
First
has
published
a
report
which
emphasises
the
benefits
of
open
access,
and
this
was
already
being
prepared
when
transport
secretary
Heidi
Alexander
sent
a
letter
to
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
on
6
January,
in
which
she
raised
the
problem
of
limited
capacity
and
also
implied
that
open
access
operators
are
not
paying
their
fair
share
of
track
access
charges.
Several
applications
are
being
considered
by
the
ORR
at
the
moment,
including
some
from
First.
These
include
a
new
route
from
London
to
Bristol,
Taunton
and
Torbay,
and
First
already
possesses
open
access
licences
to
run
from
London
to
Carmarthen
and
Stirling.
First
Rail
managing
director
Steve
Montgomery
told
Railnews:
‘We
are
here
to
work
with
government,
we
are
here
to
work
with
the
regulator,
who
has
a
role
to
play
which
is
naturally
important,
to
act
as
an
independent
authority.
So
anything
we
bring
forward
has
to
be
robust.
We
accept
that
and
we
understand
that,
and
those
are
the
rules
you
play
within.
‘We
don’t
believe
there
needs
to
be
legilsation
to
curtail
open
access
–
we
should
encourage
it.
The
success
of
Hull
Trains
is
a
classic
example
of
where
we
have
operated
since
2000,
and
we
have
grown
that
service,
and
look
at
how
the
community
of
Hull
has
prospered
since
we
brought
in
those
trains.’