All Grand Central articles
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Rail Business UKGrand Central applies to extend track access rights to 2038
UK: Open access operator Grand Central has formerly applied to industry regulator the Office for Rail & Road to extend its current track access rights which run to 2027 until 2038 to ensure its long-term future. The Arriva-owned company said this could unlock the conditions for ...
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NewsGrand Central plans to acquire bi-mode trains
UK: Grand Central has announced plans to acquire ‘new, state-of-the-art’ bi-mode trainsets as it seeks to extend its track access rights until 2038. The Arriva subsidiary which operates Open access passenger services from London to Bradford and Sunderland envisages that the trains would have approximately 20% more ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn to sell Arriva Group to I Squared
EUROPE: German national railway Deutsche Bahn has signed an agreement to sell the whole of Arriva Group to infrastructure investment manager I Squared Capital. The transaction announced on October 19 is expected to complete in 2024, subject to customary closing conditions including the approval of the ...
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Rail Business UKArriva UK Trains appoints partner to develop ACE digital customer platform
UK: Arriva UK Trains has formed a strategic partnership with Nagarro to further develop its Arriva Customer Engine digital ticket retailing and real-time information platform. ACE launched at Arriva’s Chiltern Railways business five years ago and according to the company is now ‘a feature-rich, mature platform’ ...
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Rail Business UKControlled Axle Steering on show following Grand Central tests
INNOTRANS: On show in Berlin is the Liebherr Controlled Axle Steering active wheelset control system, which aims to significantly reduce wear on rails and wheels. LiCAS has been developed by Liebherr-Transportation Systems and was successfully field tested in co-operation with Arriva’s UK open access operator Grand ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central launches at seat information and catering service
UK: Grand Central is introducing an integrated digital portal for onboard entertainment, real-time journey information and at-seat catering. Journey Central has been developed with transport technology company Whoosh and contactless ordering specialist Ordamo. It is accessed through a passenger’s smart phone, tablet or laptop without the ...
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Rail Business UKEx-Grand Central Mk IVs to operate Swansea – Manchester service
UK: Transport for Wales has purchased a batch of 30 refurbished Mk IV inter-city carriages to operate its Swansea – Manchester route from December 2022, replacing the current Class 175 DMUs.
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Rail Business UKGrand Central plans restart date and Hull Trains to monitor demand
UK: Following the government’s February 22 announcement of a proposed timeline for easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England, open access operators Grand Central and Hull Trains have confirmed that they are to remain in ‘hibernation’ for the time being. Unlike franchised operators, the open access operators ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central suspends services until March 1
UK: Following the government’s announcement of a third national lockdown in England, London to West Yorkshire and Sunderland open access operator Grand Central said it would be suspending all its services from January 9 until March 1. ‘It is hugely disappointing for us to be starting 2021 ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central to restart services
UK: Grand Central is to restart services on December 3 as the lockdown restrictions in England change, but the open access operator warned that it would only be offering a reduced and reservation-only timetable and no onboard catering. ‘While it’s great to be back, we can’t emphasise ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains and Grand Central to suspend services again
UK: Open access operators Hull Trains and Grand Central are to suspend services again as England enters a second period of coronavirus lockdown running for four weeks from November 5. The open access companies operate on a purely commercial basis, and were not entitled to the government ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central drops plans for Blackpool – London open access service
Rail Business UK understands that after months of work exploring all options, it had become clear that the service would not be financially viable until at least 2024.
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Rail Business UK‘Now is the right moment to act’ Grand Central says as it announces restart date
UK: ‘We’ve tracked our path forward, we believe now is the right moment to act, for our passengers, our staff and for the business’, Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean told Rail Business UK on July 1 when the company announced plans for a ‘measured’ restart of ...
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Rail Business UKUnion calls for government support for open access operators
UK: The RMT trade union has written to the Secretary of State for Transport calling on the government to intervene to support open access operators Hull Trains and Grand Central. Unlike franchised operators, the open access companies which are owned by FirstGroup and Arriva have not received ...
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NewsConcern grows over future of open access operators
UK: The future of open access services remains uncertain as both Hull Trains and Grand Central face up to the implications of tighter Department for Transport requirements on passenger safety when rail services are stepped up from May 18. Talking to Rail Business UK, one senior ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central surveys passenger attitudes to support restart planning
UK: Grand Central has launched what it calls an ‘ambitious open-ended survey’ to gauge current public attitudes to rail travel. The Arriva-owned open access operator intends to use the findings to plan the restart of its passenger services following a ‘hibernation’ which was implemented when Covid-19 travel ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central follows Hull Trains in suspending open access services
UK: Open access operator Grand Central temporarily suspended all services from the end of April 3, as coronavirus restrictions continue to affect its passenger numbers. The London King’s Cross to Sunderland and Bradford operator said it anticipated that the ‘necessary but temporary’ measure would last for an ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central commits to revised timetable, but Blackpool launch likely to be delayed
UK: Asked whether Grand Central was planning to follow the other East Coast Main Line open access operator Hull Trains in temporarily stopping operations because of the coronavirus pandemic, Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean told Rail Business UK on March 30 ‘we remain committed to providing ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central prepares to launch London – Blackpool services
Source: DB Cargo UK UK: The first of five Class 90 electric locomotives to receive open access passenger operator Grand Central’s branding has been unveiled ahead of the launch of London Euston – Blackpool North services this spring. Four of the 175 km/h locomotives hired from DB ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central completes £9m fleet refurbishment
UK: Arriva TrainCare’s Eastleigh site has completed a £9m two-year programme to undertake the mid-life refurbishment of 10 Alstom Class 180 Adelante inter-city DMUs for open access operator Grand Central. The trains have had a full interior refresh, with new seats with ...