New type of train service could cut fares by 60% and end strikes at 3 London stations
| Published date | 15 April 2024 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
It has also been given the go-ahead to run trains between London Paddington and Carmarthen, in south-west Wales, and is consulting on starting services between Edinburgh and Cardiff. Managing director Ian Yeowart said the growth in passenger numbers on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh demonstrated the "significant benefits" of open access.
And the UK Government is planning measures to encourage further proposals, despite concerns that open access services create additional strain on the network and take too much revenue away from conventional operators. The vast majority of trains in Britain are run by operators either owned or paid management fees by the UK, Scottish or Welsh governments.
In contrast, open access operators set their own fares, take on all revenue risk and receive no taxpayer-funded subsidies. In deciding whether to approve new open access applications, regulator the Office of Rail and Road assesses factors such as the benefit to passengers, whether sufficient new revenue will be generated, and the impact on the punctuality of existing services.
Rail minister Huw Merriman said the UK Government was working to provide more certainty over the duration of the application assessments, reconsidering the required balance of costs between taxpayers and operators, and ensuring all unused track access slots were made available. He told PA that open access services "give more choice to customers, and that crucially increases the number of passengers that we get".
He went on: "It's not just a question of us having rail operators compete with each other. There's an opportunity for rail to take passengers that may otherwise fly or indeed drive. Open access is such a positive. It doesn't involve any direct taxpayer subsidies. It also breaths new life in terms of working practices."
"There's no industrial action on open access operators, perhaps because it's a fresher way of working with the workforce rather than on an old rule book basis."
Services on the line are run by Government-owned LNER and open access operators Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo. Mr Yeowart, who founded Grand Central...
To continue reading
Request your trial