Grand Central (train operating company) facts for kids

Grand Central is a special kind of train operating company in the United Kingdom. It's called an "open-access" operator. This means it runs train services without needing a special government contract, unlike most other train companies.

Grand Central is part of Arriva UK Trains. It has been running passenger trains since December 2007.

The company started in April 2000 as 'Grand Central Railway Company'. After trying many times to get permission to use train tracks, it finally began services. Its first route was between Sunderland and London King's Cross in December 2007.

Later, in May 2010, trains also started running between Bradford Interchange and London King's Cross. In November 2011, Grand Central became part of Arriva UK Trains.

Grand Central has also suggested running more train services in the future. For example, a new route from London Euston to Blackpool North was planned for 2021. However, this plan was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

History of Grand Central Trains

The story of Grand Central began when British railways were privatised in the mid-1990s. A group of former British Rail managers, led by Ian Yeowart, tried to win contracts to run train lines. They made several offers under the Grand Central name.

However, they didn't get any of these contracts. Because of this, the company was officially closed down in March 1998.

But in April 2000, a new company called 'Grand Central Railway Company' was created. This time, they wanted to run trains as an "open-access" operator. This meant they wouldn't need a government contract. A year later, they talked about using older Intercity 125 trains for their services.

In June 2003, Grand Central asked the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) for permission. They wanted to run trains every two hours from Newcastle to Bolton. This plan was turned down in June 2004.

While setting up their services, Grand Central got help from a coach company called Fraser Eagle. In March 2006, Fraser Eagle bought a large part of Grand Central. Another train company, Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), was not happy about this. GNER even threatened to stop working with Fraser Eagle.

In February 2005, Grand Central asked the ORR again for permission. This time, they wanted to run four daily trains from Sunderland to London King's Cross. They also wanted to run four daily trains from Bradford Interchange to London King's Cross.

In March 2006, the ORR gave Grand Central permission for three daily Sunderland to London King's Cross services. GNER tried to stop this decision, even taking it to court, but their challenge was rejected in July 2006.

In March 2007, Fraser Eagle sold its share in Grand Central for £10 million. Two former managers of another rail company bought it, with help from a private investment group.

Trains were supposed to start running in May 2007. However, there were delays in getting and fixing up the trains.

43080 at London King's Cross on 18 December 2007, the first day of Grand Central services

On December 18, 2007, Grand Central officially started running trains between Sunderland and London King's Cross. At first, they only ran a few services while waiting for all their trains to arrive. The full schedule began in March 2008.

However, there were mechanical problems with their trains. This led to many cancellations and fewer services between May and July 2008.

In March 2008, Grand Central asked for permission to run three daily trains from Bradford Interchange to London King's Cross. In January 2009, they got this permission until December 2014. They also got permission for a fourth Sunderland to London King's Cross service until May 2012. This fourth service started in August 2009.

In February 2010, the ORR extended all of Grand Central's permissions until December 2016.

On May 23, 2010, Grand Central services between Bradford Interchange and King's Cross finally began. These services were delayed because it was hard to get the right trains.

In November 2011, Arriva UK Trains bought Grand Central. At that time, Grand Central had 123 employees.

Since December 2011, Bradford services have added an extra stop at Mirfield. In December 2012, a fifth service was added to the Sunderland to London route. In December 2013, a fourth daily Bradford to London King's Cross service started.

In August 2014, Grand Central's permission to operate was extended until December 2026.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Starting April 3, 2020, Grand Central temporarily stopped all its services. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A company spokesperson said they needed to protect their finances because fewer people were traveling.

Grand Central is an open-access operator, so it didn't get the same government financial help as other train companies. The company started running trains again on July 26, 2020, with a limited number of services.

After a second lockdown was announced, Grand Central stopped services again from November 6, 2020. They resumed on December 3, 2020, with a limited schedule. After a third lockdown, they stopped services again from January 9 to March 1, 2021.

Routes and Services

Current Services

Grand Central connects Yorkshire and the North East of England to London. It does this with two main train routes.

• North Eastern Service: Five trains run daily between Sunderland and London King's Cross. These trains stop at Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, and York.
• West Riding Service: Four trains run daily between Bradford Interchange and London King's Cross. These trains stop at Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield Kirkgate, and Doncaster. Some trains also stop at Pontefract Monkhill and/or Peterborough.

Proposed Future Services

Grand Central has plans to add more services in the future.

London King's Cross to Cleethorpes

In December 2017, Grand Central announced plans to run trains from London King's Cross to Cleethorpes. This would involve extending the existing Bradford Interchange service. The train would split at Doncaster, with half going to Cleethorpes and the other half continuing to Bradford. This plan would need special permission for trains to split like this.

More Bradford and Sunderland Services

In March 2018, Grand Central applied to run more trains. They want to increase services from London to Sunderland from five to six per day. They also want to increase services from London to Bradford Interchange from four to six per day.

York to London King's Cross

In May 2018, Grand Central planned to add an extra evening train between York and London.

Wakefield Kirkgate to London King's Cross

Grand Central also wanted to add an early morning and an evening service between London and Wakefield. This idea was first rejected but they applied again in May 2018.

Peterborough

Grand Central proposed adding more stops at Peterborough. This idea was rejected at first. However, in May 2018, Grand Central applied again. On November 24, 2023, the Office of Rail and Road approved this request.

Formerly Proposed Services (Plans That Didn't Happen)

Grand Central also showed interest in running trains on other routes in the past.

York to Chester

In February 2005, Grand Central applied to run three daily services from York to Chester. This service would have stopped at several towns, including Leeds and Manchester Victoria.

Bradford Interchange to London Euston

In September 2006, Grand Central suggested running trains from Bradford Interchange to London Euston. This route would have used the West Coast Main Line. However, this plan was dropped because existing rules prevented other companies from running trains on that line.

Lincoln to London King's Cross

In June 2010, Grand Central was interested in running trains between Lincoln and London King's Cross. But their offer was rejected.

Blackpool North to London Euston

In November 2010, Grand Central applied to run four daily services between Blackpool North and London Euston. They wanted to start these services in May 2012. However, the Office of Rail Regulation rejected this plan. They said the service would mostly take customers away from existing train companies, rather than bringing new people to train travel.

In June 2018, the ORR approved a new plan for this route. It would allow five direct services from Blackpool North to London Euston. These services were supposed to start in September 2019.

In June 2019, these proposed services were moved to Grand Central. They were planned to start in spring 2020, but were delayed until spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in September 2020, Grand Central decided not to go ahead with this service. This was because they expected very few passengers.

Rolling Stock (The Trains They Use)

Mark 3 standard class interior

43067 at King's Cross in the original livery in February 2009

When Grand Central first applied to run services in 2005, they planned to use Class 67 locomotives with Mark 3 carriages. But they needed trains that could go 125 mph, so they had to find different ones. They then thought about using Class 222s. However, it was hard to get these trains. So, Grand Central decided to use High Speed Trains (HSTs).

In October 2006, another company bought six Class 43 power cars and 18 Mark 3 carriages. These trains were then sent to be fixed up.

Because of delays in fixing the trains, Grand Central looked into renting other trains. But it wasn't until December 2007 that they had enough trains to start their services. The full set of trains was ready by March 2008.

Grand Central faced problems with their trains, sometimes all six power cars were out of service at once. This meant they had to rent other locomotives and carriages from different companies in summer 2008.

In March 2010, the InterCity 125 trains were sold. This helped fund a major upgrade for the Class 43 power cars.

To run their fourth Sunderland service, Grand Central leased two Class 180s in 2009. They leased three more in 2010 for the Bradford services. The Class 180 trains now run both Sunderland and Bradford services. The InterCity 125 trains usually only ran to Sunderland.

Grand Central stopped using its HST trains at the end of 2017. They then received five more Class 180 Adelante trains.

At first, Grand Central trains were black with gold and silver doors. When the Class 180s were introduced, an orange band was added to the trains.

In June 2023, Grand Central announced they would be renting two Class 221 trains. These trains (numbers 221142 and 221143) will be used on services between London King's Cross and Bradford.

Current Fleet (Trains They Use Now)

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	In Service	Carriages	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
180 Adelante		DMU	125	200	12	10	5	London King's Cross – Sunderland / Bradford Interchange	2000–2001
221 Super Voyager		DEMU			2	2	5	London King's Cross - Sunderland / Bradford Interchange	2001-2002

Cancelled Fleet (Trains They Planned to Use But Didn't)

Grand Central had planned to use certain trains for the Blackpool North to London Euston services. These included six Mark 4 Coaches pulled by a Class 90 Locomotive, with a Driving Van Trailer at the back. However, these trains were returned because the route was cancelled. The trains had already been fixed up and tested before the service was cancelled in September 2020.

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages
			mph	km/h
90		Electric locomotive	110	177	5	2 + 6
Mark 4		Passenger carriage	140	225	30
Driving Van Trailer		Driving Van Trailer			5

Past Fleet (Trains They Used Before)

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Carriages	Qty.	Routes operated	Built	Left fleet
			mph	km/h
InterCity 125 trains (HSTs)
43		Diesel locomotive	125	201	6	6	London King's Cross – Sunderland	1976-82	2017
Mark 3		Passenger carriage				18

Depots (Where Trains Are Kept and Fixed)

Grand Central's trains are looked after and repaired at two main depots: Heaton and Crofton. Before 2017, when the InterCity 125 trains were retired, major repairs were done at Arriva TrainCare in Crewe.

See also

• Grand Central, Birmingham