GRAND Union Trains, which was set up in 2018 by Mr Ian Yeowart, has applied to Britain’s Office of Road and Rail (ORR) to operate an open-access passenger service between London Paddington and Cardiff in competition with franchisee Great Western Railway (GWR).
An hourly-interval service is proposed calling at Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport with a journey time of 1h 45min. This compares with GWR’s half-hourly service with a journey time in excess of 2 hours.
Grand Union Trains proposes to use 200km/h push-pull trains formed of class 91 electric locomotives powering rakes of nine Mk 4 coaches and a driving trailer. These trains are currently used by London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) on the East Coast Main Line and will soon be displaced by Hitachi Azuma InterCity Express Trains, which will enter service in May.
Grand Union Trains wants to launch the service in December 2020 and says in its ORR application that its team “consists of experienced railway personnel and advisors” and that it will apply for a train operating licence and safety certificate alongside the application for access.
Yeowart has been involved in open-access passenger rail operation in Britain since 2000, helping to launch two services operated by Grand Central between London King’s Cross and Sunderland followed by a second service between London King’s Cross and Bradford.
