They are missing all the stops between Nuneaton and Preston, notably Crewe, so the flow won't be as large as it could be.
London-Preston is half an hour slower than the franchised service (probably not VT by then), usually leaving 3 minutes earlier.
The ICWC Blackpool services are similarly much slower than the Glasgows.
However it opens up a direct flow between Milton Keynes and Preston with connections on from there surely? How would a journey from Milton Keynes to Glasgow, changing from a GC at Preston onto the express Glasgow Vs going direct via the West Midlands compare?
Hopefully they do. Seems to keep getting put-back, rather like Grand Central themselves.
It would bound to be put back because class 91s and mk4s which their bid was based around had not been released from LNER. So it was a dead cert it would at least be delayed until then.
Possibly they aren't allowed to because Virgin serve both those places frequently?
An open access operator has to adhere to rules on their services being not primarily revenue abstractive. I.e. they have to prove its more about opening up new journey opportunities and creating new footfall than it is stealing someone else's .The stops applied for probably reflect that and putting Crewe in
may have failed the not primarily abstractive test.
That cannot be the same driver though?? And if turnaround is on average 32 mins (take away 10 minutes walking time and I would guess 10 minutes to mobilise the train that leaves just a 12 minute PNB if train is on time. And that is with by the looks of it a drive of around about 3 hr 10 each way, surely never going to get that through, it wouldn't come close to being safe. I do similar amounts of driving Plymouth to London with a minimum PNB of 30 minutes plus walking time and mobilisation etc adding up to an absolute bare minimum of 45 mins and that's if you are on time!
Perhaps the driver has a 90 ish minute break at Euston and gets 'the next one' back to Blackpool rather than the first one. The press release mentions Blackpool train Crew.