Open Access Application - London to Cardiff (28/03/2019)

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

The application's been granted. Here's the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about).

https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/regulator-approves-new-grand-union-train-service-carmarthen-london-paddington

Grand Union Trains: their web site:

http://www.granduniontrains.co.uk/

[IndustryInsider]

"...opens up the Great Western Main Line to competition for the first time."

What about GoAhead's Thames Trains before they were gobbled up by FirstGroup? GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) 'competition' on services between Paddington - Didcot and Oxford - Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context).

Not to mention Heathrow Express. 

[grahame]

"...opens up the Great Western Main Line to competition for the first time."

What about GoAhead's Thames Trains before they were gobbled up by FirstGroup? GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) 'competition' on services between Paddington - Didcot and Oxford - Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context).

Not to mention Heathrow Express. 

Didn't someone else used to run trains from South Wales, and Bristol and Bath too, into London (Waterloo)?

[Mark A]

Today's 07:25 from Carmarthen to Paddington not the best running as was 50 minutes down by Llanelli. Not that a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) service will be in the position that they'd be able to short-notice divert via the Swansea avoiding line and claw back 20 minutes that way. Or, perhaps they could, as there's reports that they inadvertantly took some Paddington to Reading and Swindon passengers off to Bristol Parkway this morning.

Mark

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W43705/2022-12-01/detailed#allox_id=0

[Mark A]

Didn't someone else used to run trains from South Wales, and Bristol and Bath too, into London (Waterloo)?

Offtopic for this thread: it's so short sighted that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) forced the Waterloo trains to be axed rather than being developed. The railway would have been able to use them to contribute to the recovery in passenger numbers in the changed market that they face.

That late eighties/early nineties approach from the then Regional Railways and its descendents to develop inter-regional services is on record as having found its feet. A local example, the one from Portsmouth that picked up at Bath around 8:30 and headed off to Liverpool was busy, useful for a range of long distance trips and even avoided a stop at Newport, let alone a change. (For the present, a change at Newport onto the first off-peak in the direction of Crewe is a bit of a gamble, as it's often just two carriages). There needs to be a mechanism for the railway to revisit this.

To return to the thread subject, with Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire together having a population of over 300000, and many journeys by rail subject to poor connections at either Carmarthen or Swansea (or both), the new service can offer a slick saving of 20 minutes via the Swansea avoiding line, so it may well be able to grow the market for rail from West Wales. In the process it might well  abstract revenue not from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) but from traffic flows on the M4. Though how the timetable for the new service will fit around GWR's sole up train from Carmarthen at 07:25: perhaps it will simply eat it for breakfast.

Mark

[IndustryInsider]

To return to the thread subject, with Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire together having a population of over 300000, and many journeys by rail subject to poor connections at either Carmarthen or Swansea (or both), the new service can offer a slick saving of 20 minutes via the Swansea avoiding line, so it may well be able to grow the market for rail from West Wales. In the process it might well  abstract revenue not from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) but from traffic flows on the M4. Though how the timetable for the new service will fit around GWR's sole up train from Carmarthen at 07:25: perhaps it will simply eat it for breakfast.

I hope it's a roaring success, like Lumo has been so far.

Worth a note of caution though in so much as we live in very turbulent times, and Grand Union's last successful application to run between Blackpool and Euston never quite made it to fruition as a result of the previous turbulent times of Covid.

[JayMac]

I wonder what rolling stock GU will go for. Ambitious to have new build ready in time for December 2024. Suspect bimode Hitachi AT300 (Class 8xx) is most likely to be ordered.

Short term lease of Class 221 Super Voyagers (ex Avanti West Coast) or Class 222 Meridian (ex East Midlands Railway) for start up perhaps. Those fleets are both homeless next year, although they could go to CrossCountry. Another option for start up would be the delightful (*cough) and ever popular (*cough cough) Class 180s - also homeless next year.

Whatever is chosen short and long term obviously has to be 125mph capable.

[IndustryInsider]

Another option for start up would be the delightful (*cough) and ever popular (*cough cough) Class 180s - also homeless next year.

NOOOOOOOO! 

[1st fan]

Another option for start up would be the delightful (*cough) and ever popular (*cough cough) Class 180s - also homeless next year.

NOOOOOOOO! 

I know the 180 infamously had (has?) numerous faults, but………..At least on the 180 in 1st, the seats were very comfortable and there were curtains not blinds. Having said that a Thames Turbo 1st class seat beats an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) 1st class seat in my book for comfort.

If they do go for an 8XX rolling stock I do hope they don’t get the same Fainsa seats.

[paul7575]

To return to the thread subject, with Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire together having a population of over 300000, and many journeys by rail subject to poor connections at either Carmarthen or Swansea (or both), the new service can offer a slick saving of 20 minutes via the Swansea avoiding line, so it may well be able to grow the market for rail from West Wales. In the process it might well  abstract revenue not from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) but from traffic flows on the M4. Though how the timetable for the new service will fit around GWR's sole up train from Carmarthen at 07:25: perhaps it will simply eat it for breakfast.

I hope it's a roaring success, like Lumo has been so far.

Worth a note of caution though in so much as we live in very turbulent times, and Grand Union's last successful application to run between Blackpool and Euston never quite made it to fruition as a result of the previous turbulent times of Covid.

Wasn’t Euston <> Blackpool the Arriva backed Grand Central, not the “completely separate” open access operator now using the name Grand Union? 

It might be thought by some that the use of “Grand” was an attempt to sow confusion.

Paul

[Bmblbzzz]

I wonder which is more ambitious: to get new rolling stock in two years or to be calling at an as yet unfinished station (Cardiff Parkway)?

[eightonedee]

Quote from: JayMac on Today at 11:26:55 am
"...opens up the Great Western Main Line to competition for the first time."

What about GoAhead's Thames Trains before they were gobbled up by FirstGroup? GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line)▸ 'competition' on services between Paddington - Didcot and Oxford - Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context)‡.

Not to mention Heathrow Express.  Wink

...or indeed Cross Country between Reading and Banbury, or between Penzance or Paignton and Bristol!

[IndustryInsider]

According to the boss, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) plan to increase the number of trains to Carmarthen and reinstate the Pembroke summer service next year.

[Trowres]

According to the boss, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) plan to increase the number of trains to Carmarthen and reinstate the Pembroke summer service next year.

Is that subject to DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) approval?

It would be interesting to examine the DfT thought processes involved.

[Noggin]

I wonder what rolling stock GU will go for. Ambitious to have new build ready in time for December 2024. Suspect bimode Hitachi AT300 (Class 8xx) is most likely to be ordered.

Suggestion on WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) was that the application was contingent on new build rolling stock, the only feasible solution in the timeframe is Hitachi with the obvious choice being to tack new vehicles onto the end of the 805 order.

Veering a little off topic, note that the Cross-Country franchise comes to an end in 2023 and the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Castles are going imminently, so might we see 805's being ordered for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) too?