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Grand Central's timetable

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yorkie

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Grand Central’s Monday – Saturday service will be:

Code:
Sunderland            0653      1230      1730
Hartlepool            0716      1253      1755
Eaglescliffe          0738      1315      1814
Northallerton         0759      1336      1835
Thirsk                0808      1345      1844
York arrive           0838      1407      1903
York depart           0847      1410      1906
Kings Cross           1042      1605      2108
 
 
Kings Cross           0804      1127      1650
York arrive           1006      1319      1844
York depart           1014      1322      1847
Thirsk                1029      1337      1903
Northallerton         1038      1346      1915
Eaglescliffe          1057      1403      1933
Hartlepool            1116      1423      1955
Sunderland            1150      1450      2035

Timings are still subject to possible changes by Network Rail. Sunday timings are to be confirmed.
 
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theblackwatch

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Personally I don't think much to the timetable...for anyone travelling from the north to London & back, the last service north at 16.50 is just too early in my view. I guess paths from 17.00 to 19.00 aren't available because of the teatime peak, and a departure after 19.00 would be a bit late.
 

eezypeazy

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It's a pity that the two morning runs take a smidge under four hours each. GNER offers a NCL -KX journey time of about three hours. I really can't see GCR taking anything out of GNER's prime business travel market...

Apparently, the GCR sets are going to turn at Pelaw, with just ten minutes allowed there... in the event of any late running involving GCR, Northern Rail or Tyne and Wear Metro, or frieght operators, the signalling people are going to have some difficult decisions to make.... ditto failed trains....

eezypeazy
 

Table 52

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I can see some of those trains being very popular between York and London.

If they were GNER trains then:

The 1042 arrival into London wouldn't be valid on a GNER saver.

The 0804 and 1650 wouldn't be valid on a Saver either- in fact, the 0804 wouldn't be valid on a Business Saver even.

I imagine GC will have the sense to offer some sort of GC only Saver fare which compared to the GNER non-saver equivelents at those times will be very very cheap.

I think they're in for nice full trains. At least between York and London.
 

Guinness

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Requires 2 Sets but what are they going to do at either termini for over an hour on some services? Will they go into a siding or something?
 

Coxster

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Chaz said:
Requires 2 Sets but what are they going to do at either termini for over an hour on some services? Will they go into a siding or something?
They'll have to at Sunderland as it is just an island platform served by the mainline/Tyne & Wear Metro every 10 minutes or so!
 

Guinness

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Coxster said:
They'll have to at Sunderland as it is just an island platform served by the mainline/Tyne & Wear Metro every 10 minutes or so!

Hmm... I'm not familar with the layout at Sunderland. Is there a Reverse Siding or something like that? Even ex-EWS would do for stabling a HST (I presume it will be an ex-Project Rio 5 car set or something like that.
 

clagmonster

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According to the eazypeazy post above they will be running to Pelaw to reverse. And it is in fact only 40 minutes up at Sunderland. At Kings Cross, I would imagine that they will just stay in the station.
 

Table 52

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clagmonster said:
According to the eazypeazy post above they will be running to Pelaw to reverse. And it is in fact only 40 minutes up at Sunderland. At Kings Cross, I would imagine that they will just stay in the station.

Isn't Kings Cross crowded enough already with GNER trains waiting for hours taking up a platform?
 

Guinness

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Table 52 said:
Isn't Kings Cross crowded enough already with GNER trains waiting for hours taking up a platform?

Balls to Kings Cross they want to run to Euston with 18 platforms. ;)
 

yorkie

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Table 52 said:
Isn't Kings Cross crowded enough already with GNER trains waiting for hours taking up a platform?
The new platform (Platform 0 I guess?) will certainly help, but I am not sure when it will be constructed and surely not before December, so some adjustments to platforming may be required to free up platforms. The GC trains should be able to fit in to Platforms 9-11, as can Hull Trains.
 

yorkie

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danannis said:
Thanks for that Liam, if fares are going to be that dear I won't be using them!!!
They are obviously the walk-on non-discounted fares, which are actually considerably cheaper than the Any Permitted equivalents!

I hope they will also issue advance singles in the way GNER do (if they do then I can use them one way in the morning regularly and combine them with a GNER single back).
 

Max

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yorkie said:
I hope they will also issue advance singles in the way GNER do (if they do then I can use them one way in the morning regularly and combine them with a GNER single back).

Hull Trains offer advance purchase singles too now. It would seem silly if GC did not adapt this approach.
 

Guinness

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I've contact Grand Central about type of train to be used.

I'll post if I get a reply. :)
 

ChrisCooper

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Out of interest, what is the source of the fact they will be using HSTs, since I've looked at the official site and there is nothing there about it, all things relating to trains show 222s. It's just that this sounds to me more like a very educated guess (in other words there is little alternative) rarther than a confirmed fact, since no-one saying it has givern a source.
 

TicketMan

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It's pretty much regarded as fact throughout the industry that GC will be using 2+5 car HST sets. It would be prohibitively expensive to start up the Voyager/Meridian production line just to build 2 or 3 sets required by GC, and no-one else has any to spare.
 

yorkie

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ChrisCooper said:
Out of interest, what is the source of the fact they will be using HSTs, since I've looked at the official site and there is nothing there about it, all things relating to trains show 222s. It's just that this sounds to me more like a very educated guess (in other words there is little alternative) rarther than a confirmed fact, since no-one saying it has givern a source.
Well the Bombardier 22x production line has closed down, to re-open it would be expensive. Which leasing company will be prepared to re-open it for a few trains (are we talking 3? 2 in use and 1 spare?) and under what terms? How long can GC guarantee that they can lease the trains for?

High production cost + High risk = Very high lease charges.

A high lease charge, combined with rising fuel costs (22x's guzzle a lot of fuel), combined with high track access charges would cause the business to have very high costs right from the start, which really does increase the risk.

GC told ORR that they'd need guaranteed rights to operate the trains for 10 years to justify the cost. Does anyone know if this has been granted? And even then the leasing company has to consider: what if GC ceases trading before that? Who would take on the units then? Also that was done on the basis of operating trains to Bradford and Sunderland (So I'd have thought at least 5x5car units), but with GC only gaining the rights to Sunderland the requirement is less which would make the cost (per vehicle) even higher!

In summary, it's HSTs by default unless there are some very surprising developments.
 

Ben

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Our Trains

Grand Central will operate 125mph high speed trains on London services. All carriages will offer improvement on what is currently available, with improved leg and luggage room. Buffet and restaurant facilities will be available to all passengers.

http://www.grandcentralrail.com/our_trains.html

HST
 

xtradj

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probably wont ever use this company but im confused why start a direct london service from sunderland, yet not have one train arriving in london before 9am for business times? surely that was the whole point

peak travellers will need to get a train into newcastle early on from sunderland to arrive in london before 9am.. i thought grand central would save that hassle

again 16.50 last train back to sunderland.. who will want to board that? ok if the first stop is york.. early business travellers can board to arrive in york quick

but peak business users wont be able to travel direct to sunderland after 16.50 so pointless?. if its too busy between 5 and 7pm.. atleast make the last train after 7 so that late business travellers and also cheap day savers can return home on that service

:: nb... did Grand Central bid to service trains Liverpool-Warrington-Manchester-Huddersfield-Leeds-York-Newcastle and fail?

would be nice to see voyager style trains take atleast peak services on that route and cut out stations like birchwood, stalybridge, dewsbury etc, instead of the slow transpennine services which stop at all major and minor/major stations along the way
 

Table 52

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The problem with the ecml is that there's very little space on it for more trains. The deal grand central has with network rail and the ORR is that GC would be able to run 3 trains a day each way, but network rail would have final say on the timings and there was no way that they could have peak times as the line is at capicity.

I'm sure GC would love to run peak services, but they've no choice in the matter.
 
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