FirstGroup has bought the open access operator which had applied to run a new service between Carmarthen and London Paddington.
FirstGroup has bought the open access operator which had applied to run a new service between Carmarthen and London Paddington.
Grand Union Trains GWML Holdings Limited has been acquired by the transport group three months after it took over sister firm Grand Union Trains WCML Holdings Ltd and its Grand Union Trains Ltd operating subsidiary, which had successfully applied for the rights to start four daily return services between London Euston and Stirling from 2025.
The acquisition of Grand Union Trains GWML Holdings Limited also includes its subsidiary Grand Union Trains No. 2 Limited, which holds the track access rights for five Carmarthen services from December 2027.
FirstGroup has also applied to the Office of Rail & Road (ORR) for permission to run six return services between London Paddington and Paignton from May 2028.
Both services will be run under its Lumo brand.
FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland said: "Growing our open access rail portfolio is a key priority for FirstGroup. The introduction of our new Carmarthen to London Paddington service will significantly bolster our footprint, and should our other applications be successful, we will almost treble our current open access capacity over the next few years.
“Our successful investment in open access through Lumo and Hull Trains has helped connect communities and drive economic growth and we aim to help spur similar effects along this route."
The Carmarthen service is expected to be introduced in December 2027 and run for at least ten years. Services will stop at Bristol Parkway, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Cardiff Central, Gowerton and Llanelli.
A FirstGroup statement said: "The service will not only create more customer choice and much-needed additional capacity on the route but it will also provide the first direct service to London from Severn Tunnel Junction and Gowerton, and a vastly improved connection from Llanelli."
Ian Yeowart, Managing Director of Grand Union added: “We are confident that the strength and experience of FirstGroup with its experienced and focused management and delivery team, alongside the award-winning provision of its current open access operations, will provide an excellent service for passengers.”
FirstGroup’s Paignton application includes five stopping at stations including Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Exeter St David's and Torquay, with a sixth path between Highbridge & Burnham and Paddington.
FirstGroup has said the Torbay area only has three direct services to London a day and a 29% modal share despite a journey time of three hours 20 minutes compared to four-five hours by road.
Grand Union Trains was first given permission by ORR to start operating the first open access services into Paddington back in December 2022, with the original start date of December 2024.
However, it has so far not yet secured suitable rolling stock, with services now expected to begin in late 2027.
The Stirling-Euston service, due to start in 2025, will call at Larbert, Greenfaulds (for Cumbernauld), Whifflet (for Coatbridge and Airdrie), Motherwell and Lockerbie, and in England at Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes Central.
Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet would all gain their first direct services to London.
The route avoids busy Edinburgh and Glasgow stations, which Grand Union said would offer faster services with no change of train necessary.
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NickJ - 05/12/2024 11:48
Amazing how GWR, currently operated by First group, sees no merit in running any more than three direct Paignton to London trains (which are themselves pretty slow, stopping at virtually every station between Paignton and Newbury), but, as a potential open access operator, they're prepared to run five direct trains (presumably in addition to the three existing GWR services). What utter nonsense! As for the Carmarthen service, well GWR only stepped up its own Carmarthen operation as a result of the planned introduction of the Grand Union service. I understand these trains carry largely fresh air between Carmarthen and Swansea. The introduction of some genuinely fast, non-stop services between Bristol Parkway and Paddington is to be welcomed, but why can't this just be done by the incumbent operator when GWR is nationalised? Nationalisation was supppsed to simplify operations and the customer proposition, not open the door to all First Group's whims and fancies about trying to skim off money from the industry that should be reinvested into the industry, rather than disappear into shareholders' pockets. It's unteresting that GU had planned an onboard experience to be far superior to that on GWR, but it seems as if First"s race to the bottom will continue with their bargain basement Lumo brand being replicated here too.