Latest news with #HullTrains
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
More trains to run between London and Hull, Newcastle and Glasgow
Additional train services will run on the East Coast Main Line from December, the rail regulator has open-access operators – Lumo, Grand Central and Hull Trains – applied to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to expand their timetablesThe successful proposals include additional trains between London and each of Hull, Newcastle and ORR rejected some plans, including a bid by Hull Trains to run direct services between London and Sheffield, due to concerns about insufficient capacity on the line. FirstGroup, which owns Hull Trains, said it was "disappointed" by the decision, as it would have provided Sheffield with its first regular service from London King's Cross since claimed the direct service would have served "an estimated 350,000 people".Hull Trains was given permission to run an additional service from London King's Cross to Hull on weekdays and will be allowed to extend its existing London-Edinburgh service to Glasgow, and will also put on additional services between King's Cross and Grand Central will expand its regional services with a new link to Seaham, on the County Durham coast, and additional trains between Wakefield and Bradford. 'Greater choice' Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's director of strategy, policy and reform, said: "We have ensured the approval of these services can be accommodated alongside the major service uplifts by other operators, which have been planned into the December 2025 timetable."Passengers and freight customers would benefit from "more direct connections and greater choice", she operators set their own fares, take on all revenue risk and receive no taxpayer-funded are also excluded from the government's ongoing nationalisation of the UK's train Secretary Heidi Alexander wrote to the ORR in January to highlight concerns about the open-access model causing "potential congestion" and taxpayers being "left to fill shortfalls" in maintenance approval of additional services comes after LNER, the government-owned operator that runs services on the East Coast Main Line, announced changes to timetables from December, with up to 37 daily services and quicker journeys between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
All you need to know about the Hull Trains strikes
Rail passengers using Hull Trains for trips between East Yorkshire and London will continue to see services impacted by strike have been taking place since February after the Aslef union claimed a driver had been unfairly sacked for raising a safety Trains has consistently denied the union's claim and said it had put forward solutions to end the dispute, but they had been latest round of industrial action could continue for the next six months, or until a resolution is found. Why is it happening?In January, Aslef union said a train driver had been sacked after raising a safety concern about fatigue during a briefing by the rail Whelan, the general secretary of the union, said the driver in question had a "totally perfect" record and had worked for "20 years without a single incident".Claims emerged in April that the driver at the centre of the dispute had fallen asleep at the controls, but Aslef denied that was the case and Hull Trains declined to the initial strike action, union members voted this month to continue their protests, which could see walkouts continue until February is Hull Trains saying?The operator said it would not comment on individual members of staff but all drivers and managers "adhere to stringent standards of assessment".Hull Trains added: "We informed both the union and [mediation body] Acas that we would be willing to take part in discussions on resolving this matter for all concerned; we have had discussions with Aslef where proposed solutions were put forward. These were rejected and not considered."It also said safety "remains and always will be paramount", and it would work to minimise the impact of the strikes and disruption on customers. What does Aslef say?In an interview with BBC Look North, Mr Whelan answered with a resounding "No" when he was asked if the driver should have been said: "We have to do the right thing and make sure [Hull Trains] operates safely within the agreements that we have."We have processes in place and we brought in a no-blame culture, so if people came forward with issues they wouldn't find themselves in the predicament."Mr Whelan added that he and the union remained open for talks, and he said he "wanted to work with the company" and move on from the issue as quickly as is it impacting services?Hull Trains is warning passengers there could be "short notice" cancellations, and it is encouraging them to check before Tuesday, for example, two of seven services from Hull to London King's Cross and one return journey were cancelled. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Scotsman
11 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Lumo given green light to expand London King's Cross-Edinburgh train services from December
Lumo is one of three East Coast Main Line train operators that will benefit from the Office of Rail and Road's decision. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Train operator Lumo has been granted permission to extend its services further into Scotland. The company is one of three East Coast Main Line train operators that have been given the green light to run additional services from December. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it approved some proposals from open access operators Lumo, Grand Central and Hull Trains to enhance their timetables. Lumo operates a service from Edinburgh Waverley to London King's Cross - and it is set to be extended | John Devlin/The Scotsman The regulator rejected some proposed services, citing concerns over insufficient capacity, the potential impact on performance, and the effect on the UK government's revenue. The approvals include Lumo extending some of its existing London King's Cross-Edinburgh services to Glasgow, and additional services between London King's Cross and Newcastle. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hull Trains will run an additional train from London King's Cross to Hull on weekdays and Saturdays, while Grand Central will increase its regional operation, including a new link to Seaham on the County Durham coast. Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's director of strategy, policy and reform, said: 'Approving these additional open access services will increase connectivity on the East Coast Main Line. 'Importantly, we have ensured the approval of these services can be accommodated alongside the major service uplifts by other operators, which have been planned into the December 2025 timetable, so together passengers and freight customers can benefit from more direct connections and greater choice from December.' Among the rejected proposals was a plan from Hull Trains for new services between London King's Cross and Sheffield. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Owner FirstGroup said it was 'disappointed' by the decision, as the plan would have provided Sheffield with its first regular service from London King's Cross since 1968, and introduced a direct service to the capital for 'an estimated 350,000 people in the Worksop and Woodhouse catchment areas'. Open access operators set their own fares, take on all revenue risk and receive no taxpayer-funded subsidies. They are excluded from the Government's ongoing nationalisation of Britain's train services. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In January, UK transport secretary Heidi Alexander wrote to the ORR expressing concerns the open access model could cause 'potential congestion' and result in taxpayers being 'left to fill shortfalls' in maintenance costs. She said she expected 'the impacts on the taxpayer and on overall performance' to be 'given primacy' by the regulator when it analyses open access proposals. The ASLEF union has announced fresh strike action affecting LNER services | AFP via Getty Images Government-owned LNER, which runs services on the East Coast Main Line, is planning a major timetable change in December, with up to 37 daily services and quicker journeys between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. It has previously described the overhaul as 'transformational' and 'the biggest change in a generation'.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three train operators given go ahead to run extra East Coast services
Three East Coast Main Line train operators have been granted permission to run additional services from December. Regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it approved some proposals from open access operators Lumo, Grand Central and Hull Trains to enhance their timetables. It rejected some proposed services, citing concerns over insufficient capacity, the potential impact on performance, and the effect on the Government's revenue. The approvals include Lumo extending some of its existing London King's Cross-Edinburgh services to Glasgow, and additional services between London King's Cross and Newcastle. Hull Trains will run an additional train from London King's Cross to Hull on weekdays and Saturdays, while Grand Central will increase its regional operation, including a new link to Seaham on the County Durham coast. Among the rejected proposals was a plan from Hull Trains for new services between London King's Cross and Sheffield. Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's director of strategy, policy and reform, said: 'Approving these additional open access services will increase connectivity on the East Coast Main Line. 'Importantly, we have ensured the approval of these services can be accommodated alongside the major service uplifts by other operators, which have been planned into the December 2025 timetable, so together passengers and freight customers can benefit from more direct connections and greater choice from December.' Open access operators set their own fares, take on all revenue risk and receive no taxpayer-funded subsidies. They are excluded from the Government's ongoing nationalisation of Britain's train services. In January, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander wrote to the ORR expressing concerns that the open access model can cause 'potential congestion' and result in taxpayers being 'left to fill shortfalls' in maintenance costs. She stated that she expects 'the impacts on the taxpayer and on overall performance' to be 'given primacy' by the regulator when it analyses open access proposals. Government-owned LNER, which runs services on the East Coast Main Line, is planning a major timetable change in December, with up to 37 daily services and quicker journeys between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. It has previously described the overhaul as 'transformational' and 'the biggest change in a generation'.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Three train operators given go ahead to run extra East Coast services
Three East Coast Main Line train operators have been granted permission to run additional services from December. Regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it approved some proposals from open access operators Lumo, Grand Central and Hull Trains to enhance their timetables. It rejected some proposed services, citing concerns over insufficient capacity, the potential impact on performance, and the effect on the Government's revenue. The approvals include Lumo extending some of its existing London King's Cross-Edinburgh services to Glasgow, and additional services between London King's Cross and Newcastle. Hull Trains will run an additional train from London King's Cross to Hull on weekdays and Saturdays, while Grand Central will increase its regional operation, including a new link to Seaham on the County Durham coast. Among the rejected proposals was a plan from Hull Trains for new services between London King's Cross and Sheffield. Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's director of strategy, policy and reform, said: 'Approving these additional open access services will increase connectivity on the East Coast Main Line. 'Importantly, we have ensured the approval of these services can be accommodated alongside the major service uplifts by other operators, which have been planned into the December 2025 timetable, so together passengers and freight customers can benefit from more direct connections and greater choice from December.' Open access operators set their own fares, take on all revenue risk and receive no taxpayer-funded subsidies. They are excluded from the Government's ongoing nationalisation of Britain's train services. In January, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander wrote to the ORR expressing concerns that the open access model can cause 'potential congestion' and result in taxpayers being 'left to fill shortfalls' in maintenance costs. She stated that she expects 'the impacts on the taxpayer and on overall performance' to be 'given primacy' by the regulator when it analyses open access proposals. Government-owned LNER, which runs services on the East Coast Main Line, is planning a major timetable change in December, with up to 37 daily services and quicker journeys between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. It has previously described the overhaul as 'transformational' and 'the biggest change in a generation'.
